Browse Topic: Unique device identifier
September 2023 marked the 10-year anniversary of the day the FDA’s Unique Device Identification (UDI) requirement first took effect. In that time, UDI went from an idea to a framework to a law; its GUDID database now uniquely identifies and holds data on more than 4 million medical devices and is the foundation for thousands of daily lookups and transactions.
Product traceability is an increasingly dominant concern in healthcare, partly due to regulations like the FDA’s Unique Device Identification (UDI) Rule for medical devices and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) for pharmaceutical products. Widespread disruptions since 2020 have also exposed critical supply-chain vulnerabilities caused, in part, by a lack of visibility — with negative consequences reaching all the way to the point of care, further underlining the need for change.
Consider for a moment the modern automobile. A car’s computer can pinpoint for a mechanic exactly what’s going wrong, and provide a thorough history of how things have been working (or not) in recent weeks. Data networks keep tabs on recalls and alert drivers when parts need to be replaced. In some cases, operating software can be updated wirelessly to address performance or emissions issues, without the driver lifting a finger.
In September 2013, the FDA announced new regulations for medical device manufacturers known as UDI (Unique Device Identifier) that would require all medical devices to bear a label containing specific information by the year 2020. The regulations were designed to phase in over a seven-year period, affecting different classes of medical devices at different compliance deadlines.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the final rule for the unique device identification system (UDI) during the UDI Conference in Baltimore, MD, and released it on September 24, 2013. This much anticipated rule will provide a consistent way to identify medical devices and ensure that proper safety regulations are being followed. The rule was established to improve the quality of information in medical device adverse events reports and assist the FDA in determining issues with medical devices as they arise. Now that the rule has been set, medical device manufacturers need to ensure they understand the rule so they can properly comply with the regulation.
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