Dear colleagues:

This is my monthly selection of updates on medical device regulations in the Eurasian region:

1. Changes to the Eurasian Transition Period for Medical Devices

Here is the long-awaited update on the Eurasian transition period for medical devices. On 5 September 2019, the Eurasian Economic Commission published Decision no. 142 (link in Russian) which contained an approved draft of the proposed changes to a transition period for registration for medical devices. According to this document, if a medical device is approved in a Eurasian member state before 31 December 2021, it may be re-registered <only in this member state> using the local re-registration procedure until 31 December 2026. Such a device can be on sale in this member state <but not the whole Eurasian Union> until the expiry of the registration certificate.

Previously, the Eurasian Agreement on medical devices required re-registration of all medical devices using the Eurasian registration procedure before 31 December 2021. In the last two years, several proposals from Eurasian member states to change these transition deadlines have been discussed.

Registrations of new medical devices before 31 December 2021, can be submitted using either the local registration procedure or the Eurasian registration procedure. After 31 December 2021, all new medical devices should be submitted for registration using the harmonised Eurasian procedure only.

The Eurasian member states must first ratify (within 90 days) the draft of Decision no. 142 (link in Russian) before this comes into effect.

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While the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan recently reported the first Eurasian approval of a pharmaceutical product,  activity on Eurasian medical device registration is still not too fast: for today there is still minimal information about products submitted for registration. Twenty-five laboratories are accredited to perform registration type testing. However, there is still no clarity as to when the quality management system (QMS) inspection, which is required for registration may begin.

2. Draft Guidance to Determine the Costs of QMS Inspection in the Eurasian Union

On 2 September 2019, the Russian Ministry of Health published a draft policy for determining the fees for a QMS inspection before registration of the medical device can take place within the Eurasian Union (link to the document in Russian).

According to Regulation no. 106, which came into force in March 2018, the QMS inspection of manufacturing sites is mandatory for the registration of most IIA-III class medical devices in the Eurasian Union. The scope of the QMS inspection includes the assessment of quality sub-systems, i.e. design and development, document and record management, production and output control, corrective and preventive actions, and consumer-related processes.

The document proposes rules for calculating the cost of an inspection which depends on the number of employees of the enterprise and its location. The document also suggests the duration of the inspection is from four to eleven working days, and that the maximum cost is limited to 2,600,000 RUB (approx. 40,000 USD), excluding the cost of translation services.

3. New Rules for Technical Testing of Medical Devices in Kazakhstan

On 6 September 2019, the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan released Regulation KR DSM-124 (link in Russian) regarding technical trials for medical devices as part of the national registration procedure. According to the document, technical tests of medical devices (not required for in-vitro diagnostics) are carried out as type testing of samples or as data analysis (e.g. for some large-sized medical devices). These tests include assessment of the parameters provided in the technical or operational documentation, evaluation of the ‘design and operability of a medical device in terms of safety, ease of use, operational and ergonomic characteristics’, and an assessment of the labelling and packaging of a medical device. The duration of technical testing, according to the rules, should not exceed 30 calendar days.

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I would like to thank LIMI Consulting who helped me prepare the update regarding the Kazakhstan regulation in this post.