Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device Registration in Russia and the Eurasian Union in August 2021

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Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to my monthly review of the most important updates in medical device regulations in Russia and Eurasia:

  1. Strengthening of Import-Substitution Policy for Certain Medical Devices in Russia

On 28 August 2021, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Resolution #1432 (link in Russian), which significantly strengthens restrictions on public procurements for a range of over 170 groups of electronic equipment, including more than 30 groups of medical devices manufactured by foreign companies.

The resolution introduced the so-called ‘second odd one out’ rule, which requires public customers procuring products listed in the resolution to reject bids from foreign manufacturers if there is already one (or more) bids for the supply of the same product manufactured in the Eurasian Union. For the medical devices listed in this document, this requirement will replace the similar ‘third odd one out’ rule, introduced by Resolution #102 in February 2015.

In addition, the new regulation requires public customers to obtain permission from the Ministry of Industry and Trade to purchase imported products on the new list.

Resolution #1432 will affect computer tomography, mammography and certain other X-ray machines, certain endoscopic equipment, individual glucometers and glucose analysers, heart rate monitors, ultrasound equipment, inhalation anaesthesia machines and ventilators and some other groups.

2. Russian Regulator Updated Requirements for Importation of Non-registered Medical Devices in Russia

On 9 August 2021, the Russian government issued Resolution #1321 (link in Russian), specifying requirements for importing non-registered medical devices into Russia and the Eurasian Union. These requirements will apply to custom-made medical devices intended for personal use, medical devices imported for research and scientific purposes, medical devices intended for medical assistance during international cultural and sporting events, trade exhibitions and other cases.

According to the published regulation, such imported devices must be reported to Roszdravnadzor via electronic system within three business days.

Regulations allow for the transportation, storage, installation, adjustment, use, operation, maintenance and repair of such non-registered devices, as well as their disposal, destruction and export from the country.

The new order will go into effect on 1 March 2022 and will be valid until 1 January 2027.

3. Updates on Development on Eurasian Medical Device Regulations

There have been several updates to Eurasian medical device regulations over the last month:

At the end of July 2021, the Russian government confirmed (link in Russian) amendments to the Eurasian agreement on common principles of circulation of medical devices regarding deadlines for the end of the transition period, as previously proposed:

-Submissions for registration and expertise of medical devices according to local rules (of the Eurasian member states) will be open until 31 December 2021.

-If submitted before 31 December 2021, the registration dossier will be reviewed according to the local registration rules of a member state.

-Medical devices approved under the local registration system in Eurasian member states may remain approved in this member state until the registration expires.

-Registration certificates for medical devices registered according to the local rules may be amended (under local rules) until 31 December 2026.

Meanwhile, there is a discussion in the Russian media about a petition from manufacturers and Russian distributors regarding the possibility of extending the submission deadline based on current national requirements.


 On 6 August 2021, the Eurasian Commission published a draft amendment to Eurasian Decision #106 ‘On the requirements for the quality management system for medical devices manufacturers’ (link in Russian), suggesting several updates on the status of the inspection body that performs the audit inspection.

As of the end of August 2021, seven medical devices have been approved under Eurasian rules.

Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device regulations in Russia July 2021

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Dear colleagues,

Here is my usual selection of highlights in medical device regulatory updates in Russia over the past month:

1. Implementation of new post-market control measures for medical devices in Russia

On 30 July 2021 the Russian government released Resolution 1066 (link in Russian) and implemented new regulations which significantly changed control measures for organizations involved in the turnover of medical devices in Russia (including manufacturers, distributors and customers [medical centres]).

The document implemented changes in the forms and schedules of the control inspections performed by the regulator. The scheduled inspections will be carried out every 4 to 6 years, depending on the risk classification of the organization, and will not be needed for organizations in low risk groups.

In addition to planned inspections, the document introduced additional control measures such as inspection visits, test purchases and random sample checks of medical devices.

2. Update on quality management system requirements for medical device manufacturers

In July 2021 the Russian government released two draft guidelines on the quality management system (QMS) requirements for medical device manufacturers.

The draft regulation “on requirements for the implementation, maintenance and evaluation of the quality management system of medical devices depending on their risk classification” (link in Russian) provides a description of the scope of the QMS assessment including design and development, processes for managing documents and records, final inspection processes, corrective and preventive action, and customer-related processes.

The document refers to Russian standard GOST ISO 13485-2017 and Eurasian Decision #106 as guidelines for implementation of the QMS.

Another document published in July 2021 is a draft regulation on conducting QMS inspections of medical device manufacturers (link in Russian).

The published guidance provides differentiation between three types of QMS audits:
1. Initial QMS inspections that must be performed for all manufacturing sites mentioned for registration application.
2. Scheduled regular QMS inspections that must be performed every 5 years for manufacturing sites selected by the regulator.
3. Unplanned QMS inspections that must be performed in certain cases of registration amendments or after completion of corrective actions.

The draft document provides a matrix for the assessment of the significance of the observations recorded during an inspection, which, according to the rules, must be closed within 30 days of the audit.

The document also provides guidance on calculating the duration of an audit, which may vary from 6 to 13 days depending on the headcount of the manufacturing organization. However, the entire inspection process may not exceed 90 days from the submission of the application.

There are several cases for which the regulations allow performing a QMS audit remotely, conditional upon performing an on-site audit within 2 years

3. New regulatory requirements for certain in-home in-vitro diagnostics

On 15 July 2021 the Russian Ministry of Health published a draft regulation (link in Russian) describing new potential approval routes for, as well as regulatory requirements of, certain in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) products (i.e. ‘in-house/home-brew’ IVD assays) developed and manufactured by individual laboratories.

According to the draft regulations such products may undergo an accelerated approval process via the obtainment of a special 5-year permit for clinical/diagnostic use in particular laboratories without registration. The document provides a detailed description of the approval procedure and requirements for submission of an application package.

The procedure is expected to be applicable for IVD products without registered analogue in Russia both made and intended for use by a specific laboratory or organization and will consider an assessment of the financial cost of registration and any existing need for diagnostics using the product.

Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device Regulations in Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union, June 2021.

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Dear Colleagues,

Please find below my usual selection of the latest updates in medical device regulations in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU):

  1. Updates to the List of Eurasian Medical Device Standards

On 8 June 2021, the Eurasian Economic Commission published recommendation #10 (link in Russian) and updated the Eurasian list of standards for demonstrating compliance with essential principles of safety and efficacy of medical devices in the EAEU.

According to the published document, nine existing standards were replaced with more up-to-date versions; eight new standards and one measurement procedure were added, and seven outdated standards were excluded from the current version of the list.

The list of applicable standards to ensure compliance with essential principles of safety and efficacy of medical devices in the EAEU is a ‘third-level’ Eurasian regulation. It was initially published in 2017 and intended to harmonise existing national standards of the Eurasian member states and correlate them with the relevant requirements of the Essential Checklist for voluntary use by manufacturers and testing laboratories during the Eurasian registration process.

  1. Classification of Adverse Events of Medical Devices in Russia

At the end of May 2021, the Russian healthcare regulator Roszdravnadzor released order 4513 (link in Russian) and implemented the classification of adverse events related to the circulation of medical devices.    

The classification contains 27 groups and characterises each of the adverse events that may arise (mechanical, chemical, optical problems, compatibility inconsistency, connection, interaction with the external environment, etc.).

It should be remembered that Russian medical device regulations require monitoring and reporting of medical device adverse events that occur both in Russia and in other countries.

  1. Changes in Tax Regulations for Certain Groups of Medical Devices in Russia

On 1 June 2021, the Russian government published Resolution 851 (link in Russian) and updated the list of medical devices taxed at a decreased rate of 10%, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation N 688. According to the published document, particular in vitro culture mediums, containers for medical wastes, specific urology devices and medical clothes were included on this list.

Later, on 25 June 2021, the Russian Ministry of Finance gave some clarifications regarding the application of tax preferences on sales of medical devices after switching to the Eurasian system. According to the published letter (link in Russian), the sale of medical devices at the reduced tax rate using a Russian registration certificate will be possible until 31 December 2021. However, according to the same document, the Ministry of Health has already prepared a draft federal law on the abolition of this limitation.

***

Thank you for following my blog, which aims to provide timely and clear updates on the development of Russian and Eurasian medical device regulations. You may also be interested in my upcoming seminar on this topic, scheduled for July 2021.

Three Things You Should Know About Medical Device Regulations in Russia and the Eurasian Union in May 2021

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Dear Colleagues,

Here is my usual list of highlights on the updates and developments regarding medical device regulations in Russia and the Eurasian region over the last month:

1.Russia Updated Assessment Requirements for Software as Medical Device

On 26 May, 2021, the Russian Ministry of Health published the Oder #386N (link in Russian) and updated the algorithm of registration expertise for software as a medical device (SaMD) previously proposed in July 2020.

Among other updates, the published regulation proposed a one-step assessment process (similar to the current assessment pathway for low class devices and IVDs) and also emphasised mandatory requirements for providing for the assessment of the photos of the user interface and carrier of the SaMD.

It should be recalled that the national rules for registration of the SaMD, as well as requirements for the technical file and instruction for use, were updated in a similar way at the end of 2020.

2. Requirement on Notification of Imported and Manufactured Medical Devices in Russia

On 14 May, 2021, the Russian Ministry of Health published a draft regulation (link in Russian) suggesting mandatory requirements for notification on every unit of any medical device imported in Russia or manufactured within the country for the purpose of safety monitoring by the regulator. According to the document, information on the name of the medical device and its modification, its serial number, its manufacturing and expiration date and the number and date of registration should be submitted using the Roszdravnadzor electronic system (Russian medical device regulator) within five days after importation or manufacturing release.

Another draft regulation published over the last month suggested a similar notification requirement for a medical device not requiring registration (link in Russian) and proposed mandatory notification for medical devices imported without registration for humanitarian, research or exhibition purposes; the same informational system would be used.

In this context, it should be also recalled that the requirement for mandatory notification on imported medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics intended for emergency usage in the prevention and treatment of coronavirus infection and approved in Russia according to accelerated procedure has been in effect in Russia since April 2020.

3. Uzbekistan will Recognise International Medical Device Approvals

There is interesting news from Uzbekistan. On 5 May, 2021, the government of the country released the order # УП-№6221 (link in Russian) and introduced the procedure of recognition of approvals for medical devices made by major international regulatory agencies.

According to the released document, since 1 June, 2021, all medical devices approved by the US FDA, European notification bodies, MHRA (UK), PMDA (Japan) or MFDS (Korea) will undergo a fifteen-day acceptance process without laboratory testing in the country.

Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device Regulations in Russia and the Eurasian Union, April 2021

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Dear Colleagues, 

Welcome to my monthly review of medical device regulatory changes in Russia and the Eurasian region:


1. Suggestions for Multiple Amendments to Russian Medical Device Regulations

In April 2021, multiple amendments made to Federal Law #323 ‘On health care protection’, related to the regulation of medical devices, were discussed by the Russian parliament. The published draft law (link in Russian) related to this initiative, among others, proposed the following significant changes to Russian medical device regulations:

– to amend the list of cases where medical devices are not subject to state registration;

– to implement the procedure for approving the classification of adverse effects of monitoring the safety of medical devices;

– to clarify the definition of ‘poor quality medical device’;

– to establish requirements for the implementation, maintenance and assessment of a quality management system for the production of medical devices;

– to establish a requirement to reissue licenses for the technical maintenance of medical device manufacturers by 31 December 2022;

– to grant the possibility of circulation of medical devices according to technical documentation in cases when registration certificate is expired and after 180 days in case of amendment of the registration certificate.

At the end of April 2021, the document was approved by the Russian parliament and signed by the President, although it has not yet come into force.

2. Discussions on the Simplification of Registration for Russian Manufacturers

Another initiative that was discussed and proposed by the Russian government over the last month was draft regulations (link in Russian), suggesting the simplification of the national registration process (an accelerated one-step registration) for Russian manufacturers. This would be on the condition that performance type testing, overseen by Russian healthcare regulator Roszdravnadzor, is carried out in the testing lab of the expert body.

The same draft proposed the possibility of two additional request/deficiency letters from Roszdravnadzor during the national Russian registration procedure (instead of one request as it stands currently) to minimise the possibility of registration rejections.
By the end of April 2021, the document had reached public discussion.

3. Development of Regulations on Remote Quality Management Audits for Medical Device Manufacturers

On 30 April 2021, the Eurasian Commission published a draft document (link in Russian) on the amendment of the Eurasian Requirements for Quality Management Systems for Manufacturers of Medical Devices (which were previously implemented in the Eurasian Regulation #106).

According to the proposed amendments in the draft document, the quality management audit (required for Eurasian approval of medical devices classed as high risk) may be performed in remote mode with approval from the regulator and on the condition that there will be a standard audit within two years of the virtual inspection.

The draft document is expected to be in public discussion until the end of May 2021.

Earlier in April 2021, the Russian Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology released the national standard GOST 59424-2021 with guidelines for performing remote analysis of the management system.

The QMS audit is a mandatory step for the approval process of IIb and III class devices, according to Eurasian regulations. Due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic and a lack of clear guidance, however, switching to Eurasian approvals remains highly uncertain for manufacturers. 

Three Things You Should Know About Medical Device Regulations in Russia and the Eurasian Union, March 2021

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Dear Colleagues,

Here is my regular update on the Russian and Eurasian medical device regulations for the last month:

  1. Update on the Eurasian Transitional Period

On 9 March 2021, the Eurasian Commission published Regulation No.28 (Link in Russian) which confirmed and specified deadlines for the Eurasian regulation transition period previously established  as follows:

  • Submissions for registration and expertise of medical devices according to the local rules (of the Eurasian member states) will be open until 31 December 2021.
  • If submitted before 31 December 2021, the registration dossier will be reviewed according to the local registration rules of a member state.
  • Medical devices approved according to the local registration system in the Eurasian member states may stay approved in this member state by the end of validity of the registration.
  • Registration certificates for medical devices registered according to the local rules may be amended (by the local rules) by 31 December 2026.

On 22 March 2021, the Russian Ministry of Health published the draft of amendments of the rules for the state registration of medical devices in Russia (link to the draft in Russian), harmonised with Eurasian regulations and transition deadlines and proposed other amendments. The draft is currently in the discussion stage until 9 April 2021.

Regardless of the approaching end of the transition period, we still may see a limited number of submissions and approvals according to the new Eurasian system.  As of the end of March 2021, there are five records concerning approval of medical/in-vitro devices in the Eurasian Union. All approved devices are manufactured by Eurasian manufacturers.

  1. Extension of the Restriction List for Medical Devices in Russia

On 6 March 2021, the Russian Government released Resolution No.336 (link in Russian), which expanded the list of medical devices originating from foreign countries, subject to restrictions for state and municipal procurements according to Resolution #102.

The new devices added to the restriction list include biochemical analysers, fetal monitors, medical, biological, and clinical microscopes for laboratory diagnostics, ultrasound surgical devices, surgical coagulants, and therapeutic laser devices.

According to Resolution #102, participation in government and municipal tenders for the supply of these products must be rejected if at least two suppliers from Russia or the EAEU countries take part in the auction with a similar type of product.

  1. Kazakhstan Updated Labelling and Advertising Requirements for Pharmaceutical Products and Medical Devices

At the end of February 2021, the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan released order #KR-DCM -11 (link in Russian) and updated national requirements for the labelling of medical devices. The regulations provide a list of information and symbols required for the manufacturer to state on the label of a medical device. The labelling must be present in Russian and Kazak languages, approved by the competent authority during the registration process and attached to each unit.

Previously, in January 2021, the Ministry of Health of Kazakhstan enforced the order #KR-DCM -11 (link in Russian) and updated rules for advertising medical devices in the country.

*****

Thank you for following and for your continued reading of my blog. Let me remind you that you can subscribe to my emails via the ‘follow’ button on the toolbar of this blog.

Three Things You Should Know About Medical Device Regulations in Russia and the Eurasian Union, February 2021 

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Dear colleagues, 

This is my usual selection of the highlights from the medical device regulatory landscape for Russia and the Eurasian Union over the last month

  1. Update on the Requirements for State Procurements for Medical Devices Containing Plastic Materials in Russia

    On 28 January 2021, the Russian government released Resolution #76 (link in Russian), which updated the criteria for the restrictions for public and municipal procurement for single-use medical devices made from poly-vinyl chlorides (PVC). Since 2017, these types of devices have been subject to restrictions (in certain conditions) for government procurements, according to List #2 of the Resolution #102.

    The published document extended the scope of the resolution to medical devices made not only from PVC but also from other plastic materials and introduced the localisation indicator of the production of medical devices included in the list.
    For the end of February 2021, List #2 for the Resolution #102 contains over 100 types of PVC and plastic medical devices, which are classified into six groups.

  2. Update on the National Medical Registration Rules in Kazakhstan

    Kazakhstan constantly updates the local medical device regulations, as follows:

    The updated version of the 735 Regulation (link in Russian) allowed a registration certificate to be obtained for a medical device with an unlimited validity period after the first submission.

    The updated version of the 736 Regulation (link in Russian) simplified the registration procedure for medical devices manufactured in the European Union, United States of America, Canada and Japan, and at the same time, was approved by the regulatory agencies of the aforementioned countries. Henceforward, these devices may skip the laboratory testing stage for the registration expertise.
    The same regulation has also updated the conditions for the accelerated 30-day registration pathway for medical devices for COVID-19 emergency use – henceforward, these procedures may only be applied after preliminary approval by the regulator.

    The Order#  282/20 (link in Russian), which was released in December 2020, updated the requirements for the procedure of the safety and quality assessment for medicinal products and medical devices in Kazakhstan via the declaration procedure.
  1. Renewal of Certain National Standards Related to Medical Devices in Russia:

Over the last few months, several national GOST standards, which are applicable to different types of medical devices in Russia, have been updated as follows:

In January 2021, certain parts of the national standard for electrical requirements for blood circulation monitors and ultrasound equipment and the national standard for needles colour coding were renewed.

From March 2021, the following renewed versions of the standards will come into force:
– General technical requirements for medical devices (GOST 50444-2020);

– Certain parts of the national standard on biocompatibility assessment (GOST ISO/TR 10993);

– New versions of the standard for technical requirements and the assessments for an endoscopy GOST 58936-2020 and MRI equipment GOST 59092-2020.


***
I would like to thank LIMI Consulting for the continuous support and updates on Kazakhstan that I used in my review. 

Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device Regulation in Russia and the Eurasian Union, January 2021

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Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to my monthly review of the most important updates in medical device regulation in Russia and Eurasia.

1. New Russian Import Procedures for Medical Device Samples

On 1 January 2021, the Russian healthcare regulator Roszdravnadzor enforced new procedures for the importing of samples for registration of medical devices in accordance with regulation #661n (link in Russian). Henceforward, an import permit is required both for registration and renewal procedures, and documents are submitted in electronic form only.

An import permit is still not needed for the accelerated registration of medical devices and in-vitro products intended for the prevention and treatment of the coronavirus under resolution #430.

2. New Post-Market Requirements for Medical Devices in Russia and Kazakhstan

On January 2021, Russia and Kazakhstan enforced new local post-market requirements for medical devices.

Russian Order #980n (link in Russian): ‘On the procedure for safety monitoring of medical devices’ applicable for medical devices registered in Russia. The regulation describes the criteria for monitoring events and procedure for work on a corrective action plan.

New Kazak regulation (link in Russian): ‘On pharmacovigilance and monitoring of safety, quality and officiate of medical devices’ was enforced early January 2021. The document provides a definition of adverse events, an example of the reporting form, a corrective-action report, and a field safety notice. The timelines for reporting were 2–30 days, depending on the severity of the event.

New requirements implemented in the regulation are mandatory post-registration clinical monitoring and submission of annual safety reports for class III devices and IIB implantable devices.

It is worth noting that both the above regulations apply to medical devices approved by local registration procedures. Meanwhile, post-market requirements for medical devices approved under Eurasian regulation are described in the Eurasian regulation #174.

3. New Registration Inspection Rules for Medical Device Manufacturers in Kazakhstan

On January 2020, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Health issued new inspection rules for medical device manufacturers. This called for the registration of medical devices under local procedure (link to the regulation in Russian).

According to this document, the quality management system (QMS) inspection is mandatory for registering sterile IIa, IIb and III class medical devices. This applies to manufacturers or manufacturing sites unregistered in Kazakhstan before, or upon, the clinical-trial completion for all class III and class IIb implantable devices. The regulation describes the scope of the QMS inspection based on the international ISO 13485 standard. In certain cases, these new rules permit the remote inspection in form assessment of documents.


Russian and Eurasian Regulatory Roundup of 2020

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Russian and Eurasian Regulatory Roundup of 2020

Dear Colleagues,

2021 is approaching, and in my usual December post, let me look back and summarise the highlights and major updates on medical device regulations in Russia and the Eurasian Union in the year 2020.

  1. Eurasian Medical Device Regulation Highlights 2020:

A year ago, on 31 December 2019, the Russian healthcare regulator Roszdravnadzor announced that the first medical device was approved under the Eurasian medical device regulations. The first Eurasian registration certificate was issued for a 2A class neonatal phototherapy lamp that was manufactured in Russia.

By the end of December 2020, there have been four medical devices (in-vitro devices) mentioned in the Eurasian database – all of these manufactured by Russian manufacturers. In the same database, we can also notice over 30 files submitted for Eurasian registration between 2019 and 2020 (with a significantly high rejection rate and a review time of over 350 days).

One of the key challenges for manufacturers (especially during the time of travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic) has been the necessity for carrying out an inspection of a manufacturing site to ensure compliance with quality management system (QMS) requirements (in accordance with the Eurasian Regulation #106). This compliance, as per regulations, is a mandatory step for approval of any medical device belonging to classes IIA and III. However, in September 2020, Roszdravnadzor announced that the first QMS inspection was carried out on the first medical device and that its approval was provided by complying with the Eurasian medical device registration procedure. Roszdravnadzor also announced that it carried out manufacturing inspection of two manufacturing sites located in Russia.

Most of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd level Eurasian regulations, nowadays, are released and approved by the Eurasian Commission. Some of the regulations that were updated over the course of 2020 include the amendment to the rules of registration and examination of medical devices (link in Russian), draft of a regulation on technical testing requirements (link in Russian), draft regulations on amendments to the criteria for classifying products as medical devices (link to the draft document in Russian).


According to Decision #142 (published in September 2019), the end of the transition period for submissions, according to local regulations of the Eurasian member states, as of today, still remains 31 December 2021.

  1. Russian Medical Device Regulation Highlights 2020:
  1. Response to COVID-19 – Russian and Eurasian Medical Device Regulations:

In the year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed the Russian healthcare system (which has been the case with other countries too). In response to the pandemic, Russian Ministry of Health introduced certain new regulatory measures and approval pathways related to medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics:

  • On 18 March 2020, the Russian government released Resolution #299 (link in Russian) followed by methodical guidelines (link in Russian) and opened a simplified registration route for 36 types of class I protective medical devices, including surgical or protective face masks, respirators, medical protective clothing, surgical suits, medical gloves, overshoes, etc. The official timeline for taking a decision on registration of products that are included in the list is within five days upon receipt of the registration file, on the condition that the manufacturer provides documents confirming the safety and quality parameters of these devices (testing and trial reports) within five months of the approval date. By the end of the year, the regulator announced that the initial registration of 1342 medical devices that were approved through the accelerated and simplified registration route were withdrawn since the required documents were not provided within the established deadlines.
  • On 6 April 2020, the Russian government released Resolution #430 (link in Russian) followed by guidelines (link in Russian)  and introduces simplified accelerated registration process for temporary approval of particular batches of 108 types of medical devices and IVD products included in the list (this list was extended to 363 types of products )that were intended for emergency usage in the prevention and treatment of coronavirus infection.
  • The temporary registration certificate (validity of which was prolonged until the end of 2021) of the product included in the list may be granted by Roszdravnadzor (within three business days) after carrying out testing through the special accelerated program).
  • By the end of December 2020, there will be over 300 registration records (for particular bathes) holding a temporary registration certificate in the Russian registration database.
  • Additionally, since April 2020, the regulator has allowed to sell imported disposable medical products included in the list (and not registered in the Russian Federation) on the condition that these products are registered in the specified manner outlined by the manufacturing country.

    *****

    I would like to thank all of my subscribers and readers for showing your continuous interest and feedback  in my posts and updates. I wish you a wonderful holiday season! All the very best for the year 2021!

Three Things You Should Know about Medical Device Regulations in Russia and Eurasian Union, November 2020

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Dear Colleagues,

Here is my usual selection of highlights to keep you in the loop regarding updates in Russian and Eurasian medical device regulations for the last month.

  1. Prolongation of the Simplified Medical Device Approval Process in Russia


On 13 November 2020, the Russian government released Resolution #1826  (Link in Russian) extending the validity of the simplified batch-by-batch approval process for medical devices and IVD products intended for emergency use in the prevention and treatment of coronavirus infection introduced in April 2020, for one year (i.e. until the end of 2021).

The published resolution can also extend the validity of licenses that were issued according to this simplified procedure, for particular batches of the products. However, this extension will require the procedure of the administrative replacement.

As of today, the simplified batch-by-batch approval process is valid for 363 types of medical devices, including some IVD assays and laboratory consumables, artificial ventilation machines and breathing circuits, connectors and valves for mechanical ventilation, pulse oximeters, patient monitors, medical furniture, protective masks and other medical devices and protective equipment. There are 278 registration certificates that were issued through this process.

2. Updated Procedure for Safety Monitoring of Medical Devices in Russia

On 2 November 2020, the Russian Ministry of Health published the Order #980n on the approval of the procedure of the safety monitoring for medical devices (link in Russian).
The regulation, that replaced the previous obsolete order cancelled in July 2020, comes into force on 1 January 2021 and will be applicable for medical devices approved according to Russian local procedure until 1 January 2027.

The Russian medical device regulation, requires licence holders to perform safety monitoring  by collecting information ‘on adverse effects not specified in the operating manual of the medical device, adverse reactions during its use, the peculiarities of the interaction of medical devices with each other, facts and circumstances that pose a threat to the life and health of citizens and medical workers during their use and operation.’

According to the document, the Russian medical device regulator may receive the information on adverse events from the reporting of manufacturers of medical devices, as well as by monitoring the post-market surveillance databases of regulatory agencies of other jurisdictions or control measures performed by the regulator.

Based on the information received during safety monitoring, the regulator may initiate additional control measures or request a plan of corrective action from the manufacturer.

3. Eurasian Criteria for Classifying Products as Medical Devices

On 24 November 2020, the Eurasian Commission published draft regulations on amendments to the criteria for classifying products as medical devices within the Eurasian Economic Union.  (link to the draft document in Russian)

The document proposes changes to existing criteria, issued in 2018 in Regulation #25, in order to eliminate differences in the requirements for classifying products as medical devices between the  Eurasian regulations and local regulations of the member states.
Most of proposed changes relate to standardising criteria for medical software with recently updated Russian requirements and some protective equipment.

The draft document is open for public discussion until 25 January 2021.

*****

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