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About Alexey Stepanov

Medical Device Regulatory and Quality Professional based in Russia.

Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device Regulations in Russia and CIS, May 2015

Dear Colleagues,

I hope your Russian regulatory projects are going well! Let me deliver my monthly update of the most important regulatory news for Russia, CIS and the Eurasian Customs Union:

  1. Ukraine: should current medical device registration certificates be renewed?

1 July 2015 is the enforcement date for the new medical device approval procedures in Ukraine. After this date, the access of new products to the Ukrainian market is expected to be possible only by obtaining a special mark, achieved by conformity with the new technical regulations such as:
-technical regulation #753 –        Medical devices (link in Russian)
-technical regulation #754 –        In vitro diagnostic devices (link in Russian)
-technical regulation #755 –        Active implantable medical devices (link in Russian)
The deadlines for mandatory application of technical regulations has been repeatedly postponed since  2011, but according to the message from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health, this year the Regulator is going to adhere firmly to the announced date and does not recommended another postponement.
Last month the Ukrainian government approved decree №181 (link in Russian), which establishes a procedure for the transitional period until 1 July 2015. After 1 July 2015, the admission of products already registered in Ukraine is expected to be permitted until 1 July 2016 or until the expiration date of the relevant product’s registration (if this date is earlier than 1 July 2016).
Meanwhile, Ukraine has recently established a temporary exemption from VAT and fast track registration for certain medical devices imported and/or supplied on the basis of agreements with qualified international procurement agencies.

  1. Strengthening price regulation for implantable devices in Russia

Amendments to the Federal Healthcare Act (link in Russian), signed in February, are aimed at strengthening the regulation of prices for implantable medical devices. These amendments officially came into force on 9 May 2015. These amendments have introduced price registration, monitoring and control for implantable medical devices included in the list of implantable medical devices subject for national reimbursement programmes.  Despite the fact that these amendments are now in force, the law is not yet effective due to a lack of secondary legislation (i.e. a description of  the price registration procedure and  methodology for determining the maximum wholesale producer’s prices for medical devices) which are at the stage of approval and are expected within the coming weeks.

  1. Status of the Eurasian Medical Device Harmonisation

At the meetings of the working group of the Eurasian Economic Union (13-15 May 2015 in Almay (Kazakhstan)) it was confirmed that there may be a “high degree of readiness” of a major part of second-level regulations for common medical device regulations, which is expected to come into force on 1 January 2016. The draft rules of registration and expertise of medical devices proposed previously by Kazak regulators as well as the requirements for its implementation maintain the quality management system for medical device manufacturers are approved with some additional recommendations.  Documents will be available on the official website. For now, three guidelines for new medical device systems are already approved and available: 1. classification according to safety class (link in Russian), 2. essential principles of safety and performance (link in Russian) and 3. requirements for EAC mark (link in Russian).

Let me take advantage of this update as well to thank you for following this blog and invite you again to register and to ask your questions in the new Russian Medical Device Internet Forum which you can find at the top of this page //www.medicaldevicesinrussia.com/ or http://meddevrus.listbb.ru

EAC Harmonization for Medical Devices

Agreement on common principles of circulation of medical devices across Eurasian Customs (EAC) union will come into force on 01.01.2016 for Russia (RU), Belarus (BE) and Kazakhstan (KZ). What impact is expected on medical device registrations?

Welcome to Russian Medical Device Regulations Forum

Dear Fellow Colleagues,
One year ago I decided to launch my blog http://www.medicaldevicesinrussia.com in order to make Russian medical device regulations clearer.

Seeing the discussions on local Russian conferences and professional meeting I thought that we might need such tool as internet forum to share experience and accumulate information and best practices for registration of medical devices in Russia. For many of us forum is easier for navigate and more convenient communication tool.

Some days ago I launched this internet forum and hereby invite you to join, register and to start any discussion. You can find this forum in the top of main page of this blog or via direct link http://meddevrus.listbb.ru

I would like to draw your attention that I made this tool bilingual and there is special English section there.

forum

I would be glad as well for any of your feedback and ideas on this topic.

Добро пожаловать на форум о регистрации медицинских изделий

Коллеги привет!

Год назад я решил создать блог http://www.medicaldevicesinrussia.com с целью сделать вопросы регулирования медицинских изделий в России понятнее для международного профессионального сообщества.

Посещая российские конференции и заседания ассоциаций мне показалось, что нам нужен русскоязычный интернет-форум для того, чтобы делиться опытом, собирать и накапливать практическую информацию в сфере регистрации и регулирования медицинских изделий. Для многих формат форума привычнее, доступнее и удобнее в навигации.

Я открыл такой форум и приглашаю Вас зарегистрироваться и участвовать в дискуссиях. Ссылка на форум размещена в верхней части этой страницы блога или по прямой ссылке http://meddevrus.listbb.ru

Буду также рад любой обратной связи, идеям и пожеланиям.

Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device Regulations in Russia and CIS, April 2015

As usual at the end of the month, I would like to share my selection of highlights on what is going on with the regulation of medical devices in Russia, the Eurasian Customs Union, and CIS countries:

 

  1. Russia has published a 5-year import substitution strategy.
    The Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation (MinPromTorg) approved the 2nd April 2015 strategic 5-year plan for import substitution in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry. Within this plan, there is a list (link in Russian) of one hundred and eleven groups of medical devices detailing targeted market shares of foreign manufacturers by 2020. Among them, for example, are surgical disposable materials (target is 40% imports in 2020, compared to 90% at the moment), prostheses, endoprostheses and their parts, cardio pacemakers (10% import in 2020 vs. 85% now), endoscopes (35% vs. 100%), X-ray equipment, and other groups of medical devices. It is to be noted here that the National program for the development of the pharmaceutical and medical industry approved last year’s target of a 40% market share of all medical devices to be manufactured in Russia by 2020.
  2. Kazakhstan has changed the registration procedures.
    In April, the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan published changes in order №735 of the registration of medicines and medical devices and medical technique equipment (link in Russian) and order №736 for expertise in pharmaceuticals and medical devices (link in Russian). The relevant authorities in Kazakhstan held a seminar explaining the new rules.
    The main changes in procedure include a requirement of expertise of a medical device prior to a submission for registration and introduction of a mandatory electronic registration dossier.
    From April 2015, all registration documents will only be accepted in electronic form. In the process for expertise and registration, the electronic dossier will be updated with the conclusions of experts at all stages of examination, as well as with additional materials. It should be recalled that Kazakhstan has a separate procedure for medical equipment (technique) and medical devices and requires separate registration for every manufacturing site.
  3. Medical device mark for Eurasian Economic Customs Union.
    In April 2015, the draft ( link in Russian) of a special mark for medical devices marketed in the Eurasian Economic Customs Union (EECU) became available on the website of the Eurasian Economic Commission.Screenshot_1
    It is expected that before the release of a medical device for circulation in the EECU, the manufacturer or their authorised representative will mark the medical device with this mark (the device, individual packing, and instructions for use should be marked), if the device passed the newly established registration procedure. Let me remind you that the agreement on common principles of the circulation of medical devices, signed in December 2014, implies the harmonisation of registration and labelling requirements, circulation, and post-market surveillance for medical devices across Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan from the 1st January 2016.

I would also like to use the opportunity of this update to thank all blog readers and group members for following and invite you to join my presentation on upcoming EECU medical device regulations at the Informa Regulatory Affairs in Emerging Markets conference in June 2015.

Russia Medical Device Market Access and ISO 13485 certification for the ROW

Dear Colleagues,

Let me invite you to a free webinar Russia Medical Device Market Access and ISO 13485 certification for the ROW that I am preparing currently with LNE/G-Med.

The webcast will take place on Wednesday, April 29, 2015 from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM (US Eastern Daylight Time) and will cover up to date Russian medical device registration steps and regulations as well as ISO 13485’s and CE marking  role in the Russian medical device regulatory system.

You can check an agenda and to register for free on the link below:

http://www.lne-america.com/about-us/eventsappearances.html

Nine Questions about Registration of Medical Devices in Russia

На русском

A complex landscape, which is continuing to be adjusted” …this quote, by the head of the medical device expertise body, is a description of what is going on today in the regulation of medical devices in Russia and was the main idea behind ​​the seminar on the registration of medical devices in Russia, held by the medical device regulator on the 6th and 7th of April in Saint-Petersburg. In addition to the official reports of experts, a lot of time at this event was assigned to live discussion, with representatives of Russian and international medical device companies. I would like to highlight below the most interesting of these questions which were answered by the experts:

  1. Question: Is it allowed to group in one registration submission several medical devices of different types according to the Russian nomenclature classification?

    Expert answered: No. It is possible to group medical devices only within one type of nomenclature classifier.  This question is still open for renewals of registrations already granted, and Roszdravnadzor (the Russian medical device regulator) is considering the possibility of listing multiple types of medical devices in the registration certificates issued previously.

  2.  Question: What should I do if the type (code) of my medical device is not listed in the nomenclature classifier?

    Expert answered: Roszdravnadzor is working to keep the national medical device nomenclature classifier updated and harmonized with global medical device nomenclature (GMDN).  If the type (code) of a medical device is not listed in the current version of the classifier, it is recommended to submit the code GMDN for the medical device in the technical file. In this case, the regulator will assign a similar Russian code.

  3. Question: Can I get a formal consultation on the registration process with Roszdravnadzor or an expert organization?

    Expert answered: Currently, Roszdravnadzor does not consult applicants. Any question about the registration of medical devices is only possible in the form of a written request.  It should be noted however, that Roszdravnadzor is currently considering legal mechanisms for the possibility of such consultations in the future.
    Expert organizations also do not provide consultation options for applicants, and they conduct their activities only upon request of Roszdravnadzor. According to the Decree of Ministry of Health number 1353N, direct communication between experts and applicants is prohibited. If the applicant has any query for the expert organization, it should apply to Roszdravnadzor.

  1. Question: Who and how determines if a borderline product (e.g. medical device, pharmaceuticals, biological product) can be registered as a medical device?

    Expert answered: Before the registration of borderline products, this question should be addressed (with a technical file and IFU) to the special interdepartmental commission convened regularly by Roszdravnadzor.
  2. Question: Is Russian registration mandatory for a medical device manufactured in Russia for export sales only?

    Expert answered: Yes. Manufacturing is part of the life-cycle of a medical device; therefore, registration is mandatory in order to start production of any medical device in Russia, even if it is for export purposes only.

 

  1. Who and at what stage of the registration process defines whether a medical device will undergo full clinical trials, or only evaluation of clinical data for the registration?

    Expert answered: After the first stage of the expertise and obtaining the authorization of Roszdravnadzor, the clinical investigation plan, including study design, should be developed by the applicant together with an accredited clinical center. It is an obligation for the applicant to provide an appropriate evidence base in order for the clinical center to make a decision about how clinical data could be obtained.

 

  1. Are there any requirements for the design plan of the clinical trial?

    Expert answered: A program of clinical trials can be drafted in any form and should contain the information required by ISO 14155-2008

  2. Question: How can I perform clinical trials of an analyzer and in-vitro reagents, if these items should be submitted for registration separately?

    Expert answered: Such items should undergo clinical trials and technical testing together. The same rule applies to analytical systems, components of which are registered as individual medical devices (glucometers, test strips, test solutions).

  1. Is clinical usage of a medical device authorized when the registration certificate has expired?Expert answered:

    Yes. According to the explanation of the Ministry of Health, if a medical device was imported into Russia, and purchased by a clinical center during the period of validity of the registration certificate, then such a medical device can be used for clinical purposes until the end of lifetime indicated in the IFU.

Disclaimer: the objective of this post is solely to provide information about the seminar that I found interesting from my professional point of view. This post is NIETHER an official report NOR recommendation and does NOT state official position of any organization or regulatory body.

Девять сложных вопросов о регистрации медицинских изделий

This post in English

“Сложная картина, которая продолжает настраиваться”… эту цитату эксперта ФГБУ «ЦМИКЭЭ»  я бы привел как емкое описание ситуации с регистрацией медицинских изделий в России и основную мысль семинара «О порядке подготовки документов для целей государственной регистрации медицинских изделий», прошедшего 6 и 7 апреля в Санкт-Петербурге.  Помимо докладов экспертов значимая часть времени была отведена живой дискуссии с представителями российских и международных компаний. Ниже я хотел бы привести вопросы от участников и ответы экспертов, которые мне показались  наиболее интересными:

  1. Вопрос: Можно ли объединять для регистрации в одном регистрационном удостоверении медицинские изделия, относящиеся к нескольким разным видам согласно номенклатурной классификации?
    Ответ эксперта
    (Антонов В.В. помощник генерального директора ФГБУ «ЦМИКЭЭ» Росздравнадзора): Нет. Группировка медицинских изделий в заявлении на регистрацию возможна только в рамках одного вида номенклатурного классификатора. Для процедуры ВИРУ и замены регистрационных удостоверений вопрос на сегодня окончательно не решен, и  Росздравнадзор рассматривает возможность  указывать несколько видов медицинских изделий в регистрационном удостоверении для ранее зарегистрированных изделий.
  2. Вопрос: Что делать в случае, если вид регистрируемого медицинского изделия отсутствует в номенклатурном классификаторе?
    Ответ  эксперта(Антонов В.В. помощник генерального директора ФГБУ «ЦМИКЭЭ» Росздравнадзора): Росздравнадзор ведет работу по регулярному обновлению номенклатурного классификатора. В случае если вид медицинского изделия отсутствует, рекомендуется подать код GMDN  в составе технической документации на изделие. В этом случае регистрирующий орган проведет работу по присвоению аналогичного российского кода. Код можно получить самостоятельно, обратившись в GMDN agency.

 

  1. Вопрос: Можно ли получить официальную консультацию по процессу регистрации в Росздравнадзоре или экспертной организации?

    Ответ эксперта (Ксензенко Ю.В. специалист-эксперт отдела экспертизы качества, эффективности и безопасности медицинских изделий ФГБУ «ЦМИКЭЭ» Росздравнадзора): На данный момент Росздравнадзор не проводит консультаций для заявителей. Задать вопрос о регистрации медицинских изделий возможно только в формате письменного обращения. Необходимо отметить, что Росздравнадзор работает над созданием юридических механизмов для возможности таких консультаций в будущем. Экспертные организации также не проводят консультирование заявителей и ведут свою деятельность только по запросу Росздравнадзора . Согласно приказу Министерства Здравоохранения № 1353Н, прямое общение экспертов с заявителями запрещено. Если у заявителя возникают вопросы к экспертной организации, он должен обратиться в Росздравнадзор.
    Заявитель имеет право записаться на прием к руководству экспертной организации.

 

  1. Вопрос: Для пограничных изделий (медицинские изделия, лекарственные средства, биологические продукты),  кто и как определяет, является ли изделие медицинским?

    Ответ эксперта (Дудик В.Ф. начальник отдела правового и кадрового обеспечения  ФГБУ «ЦМИКЭЭ» Росздравнадзора): Данный вопрос решает специальная межведомственная комиссия, созываемая  Росздравнадзором  регулярно. Для решения вопроса необходимо предоставить в Росздравнадзор техническую и эксплуатационную документацию на спорное изделие.

 

  1. Вопрос: Требуется ли государственная регистрация в случае, если медицинское изделие производится в России только для продажи на экспорт?

    Ответ эксперта (Дудик В.Ф. начальник отдела правового и кадрового обеспечения ФГБУ «ЦМИКЭЭ» Росздравнадзора): Да. Производство является частью обращения медицинского изделия, поэтому  для начала производства медицинского изделия в России необходимо получить регистрационное удостоверение в установленном порядке.

 

  1. Кто и на каком этапе определяет, будут ли клинические испытания медицинского изделия проводиться в форме анализа данных или испытаний с участием пациентов?

    Ответ эксперта 
    (Рогов Е.С. начальник отдела контроля клинических исследований Росздравнадзора): После первого этапа экспертизы и получения соответствующего разрешения Росздравнадзра программа клинических испытаний, в том числе и дизайн исследования, разрабатываются заявителем и аккредитованным клиническим центром совместно. На заявителе лежит обязанность предоставить соответствующую доказательную базу для того, чтобы клинический центр мог принять решение о форме исследования.

 

  1. Существуют ли требования к оформлению плана клинического исследования?

    Ответ эксперта (Рогов Е.С. начальник отдела контроля клинических исследований Росздравнадзора): Программа клинических испытаний составляется в произвольной форме, должна содержать информацию определяемую ГОСТ Р 14155-2008, листы должны быть пронумерованы с указанием версии и даты составления плана.

 

  1. Как проводятся клинические испытания анализатора и расходных материалов (реагентов), если данные изделия регистрируются отдельно?

    Ответ эксперта 
    (Грудачева Е.А. специалист-эксперт отдела экспертизы качества, эффективности и безопасности медицинских изделий ФГБУ «ЦМИКЭЭ» Росздравнадзора) Клинические испытания (как и технические) анализатора и расходных материалов к нему проводятся совместно. То же касается аналитических систем, компоненты которых регистрируются как отдельные медицинские изделия (глюкометр, контрольные растворы, тест полоски).

 

  1. Разрешено ли клиническое применение медицинского изделия, срок действия регистрационного удостоверения которого истек?

    Ответ эксперта 
    (Дудик В.Ф. начальник отдела правового и кадрового обеспечения ФГБУ «ЦМИКЭЭ» Росздравнадзора): Да. Согласно разъяснению Министерства Здравоохранения, медицинское изделие, ввезенное и приобретенное клиникой в момент действия регистрационного удостоверения, может быть использовано до истечения его срока действия обозначенного в эксплуатационной документации.

   !Disclaimer: Я постарался максимально точно записать и передать ответы экспертов, но я не могу исключать, что какая-либо часть информации могла быть интерпретирована субъективно с моей профессиональной точки зрения. Информация в этом посте служит для ознакомления профессионального сообщества и НЕ является официальным отчетом о мероприятии, рекомендацией, руководством, или позицией какой-либо компании или организации.

Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device Regulations in Russia, March 2015

It is time for a monthly update and here are the most important medical device regulatory initiatives and changes for Russia, the Eurasian Customs Union (ECU) and the CIS region for March:

1. Russia: Price Regulation for Implantable Medical Devices for State Procurements

On 9 March 2015 the Russian president signed an amendment (link in Russian) to article #80 of the Russian Federal Law #323 “On the Fundamentals of Health Protection in the Russian Federation”. These amendments introduce additional price regulations for implantable medical devices included in the recently approved list of implantable medical devices subject for national reimbursement programmes. Roszdravnadzor (a Russian medical device regulator) launched a website for the weekly monitoring of price dynamics for implantable medical devices. The regulator is expected to be responsible for the registration of manufacturers’ maximum sales prices, maximum wholesale and retail mark-ups and the maintenance of the national open public register with this information. The draft of the detailed guidance for this initiative (the methodology for determining the maximum wholesale producer prices for medical devices) will be available (link in Russian) for public discussion by 19 April 2015 on the official online database of the federal executive authority and is expected to come into force within Q2 2015.

2. Eurasian Customs Union: End of the Transition Period for EAC Conformity Assessment Procedures
15 March 2015 was the day when the transition period for several technical regulations of the ECU ended, among them TR TS 020/2011 “Electromagnetic compatibility” (link in Russian) and TR TS 004/2011 “On safety of low voltage equipment” (link in Russian). Since 15 March 2015, manufacturers and importers who release into circulation on the ECU market products (including medical devices) covered by these technical regulations will have to undergo a new conformity assessment procedure (an EAC procedure according to the requirements of the ECU technical regulations above instead of the GOST-R assessment procedure in Russia).

3. Ukraine: Simplified Registration Track for Certain Medical Products
On 19 March 2015 the Ukrainian Parliament approved Law #2150 (link in Ukrainian). This law provides a separate temporary mechanism to engage specialised international organisations and funds (among them the International Dispensary Association, Crown Agents, Partnership for Supply Chain Management, and others) in the procurement of certain medicines and medical devices on the basis of a special agreement with the Ukrainian Ministry of Health. The law introduces a simplified and fast-track (up to 14 days) registration procedure for certain medicines and medical devices that are to be procured by these organisations and allows them to be classified as essential medical products for subsequent release from additional import duty.

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The objective of this blog is to make Russian and Eurasian medical device regulations clearer. Please post your comments and questions here or on the Russian medical device regulations Linkedin group or follow me on twitter @MedDevRus