The 3 C’s of the EU MDR: Changes, Challenges and Contributions

January 12, 2023

3 Cs of EU MDR - new

The new European Union Medical Device Regulation (EU MDR) comes with a steep path to compliance. But it also comes with a more effective path to achieving a common goal - 'A safer healthcare ecosystem'. We have classified the Changes, Challenges and Contributions by consolidating a list for each 'C'.

Identifying the changes

The EU MDR calls for stricter rules, more transparency and increased availability of quality data. We have identified the main changes that are relevant to all medical device manufacturers.

  • Product scope expansion
  • Identification of a "qualified person"
  • Implementing an identity that is unique to the device (Unique Device Identification Number)
  • Rigorous post-market oversight
  • Reclassifying devices according to risk, contact duration and, invasiveness
  • More rigorous clinical evidence for class III and implantable medical devices
  • Systematic clinical evaluation of Class IIa and Class IIb medical devices
  • No “grandfathering” provisions

FREE DEMO: Click here to see how you can streamline the collection and management of clinical data to bring safer and better medical devices to patients.

Early identification of the changes and their applicability can enable you to benefit from these changes. The identified list of changes is explained in a more in-depth article by TÜV SÜD.

Now that we have identified the Changes the next section will highlight the challenges that medical device manufacturers will face with these new requirements.

Coping with the challenges

Change in requirements will require manufacturers to adjust the mindset and workflow within the organization. This will affect the overall product lifecycle, budgets, and time to market if compliance is not achieved.

  • There will be an acute demand for clinical experts and additional education
  • New skills for clinical experts supporting the medical device manufacturers
  • Trouble in collecting and managing sufficient Clinical Evidence
  • Updating the clinical evaluation report
  • The equivalence conundrum
  • External PMS data

Consequently, addressing these Challenges will enable further development and innovations which will contribute to a safer healthcare ecosystem.

Unveiling the benefits of Contributions

One of the main contributions brought about by the EU MDR is 'The EUDAMED database' which will allow for information exchange on medical devices’ market surveillance, clinical investigation information, and safety and clinical performance.

Medical devices in the EU will also be tracked online with a Unique Device Identification (UDI) number, making it easier to glean information on individual products. These UDI numbers will be located in EUDAMED.

Conclusively, the Contributions made by the EU MDR like the EUDAMED database help us work toward a safer future with trust, transparency and traceability.

The 3 c's: Changes, Challenges and, Contributions - Summary

The Changes are targeted toward the efficacy and traceability of clinical evidence while the Challenges are targeted toward skilled experts and clinical evaluation. The challenges can be addressed through cooperation with skilled medical experts when conducting clinical investigations. 

Furthermore, there needs to be an implementation of provisions for sufficient clinical evidence collection and validation. With the changes and challenges, the EU MDR also brings Contributions. The main Contribution is the EUDAMED database which helps us work toward a safer future with trust, transparency and traceability.

FREE DEMO: Click here to see how you can streamline the collection and management of clinical data to bring safer and better medical devices to patients.

MedTech's leading Electronic Data Capture system for EU MDR

Greenlight Guru Clinical has been supporting the MedTech industry for more than a decade with pre- and post-market studies and has streamlined medical device manufacturer's path to EU MDR compliance.

Our electronic data capture solution is engineered to fit the medical device workflow and clinical operations/clinical data collection activities. Greenlight Guru enables manufacturers to collect and manage clinical data in compliance with Good Clinical Practice, for EU MDR AE and vigilance reporting throughout the entire device lifecycle.

Ready to learn how Greenlight Guru can assist you on your path to EU MDR compliance? Contact us for a Customized Demo.

Páll Jóhannesson, M.Sc. in Medical Market Access, is the founder and Managing Director of Greenlight Guru Clinical (formerly SMART-TRIAL). Páll was previously the CEO of Greenlight Guru Clinical where he led the team to create the only EDC specifically made for medical devices.

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