Europe Medical Device Registration – Compliance with European Directives (MDD, AIMD, IVDD) or Regulations (MDR, IVDR)
The European Community has formally adopted several Directives (or regulations – see below) that apply to the Europe Medical Devices Registration. This means that any company, interested in selling a product in one of the European Community countries, must comply with the requirements of the applicable Directive and must mark its product with the CE symbol according to those requirements. From May 2020 the Medical Device Regulation and the In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation will enter into force and will replace the Directives
The requirements of the CE can be divided into two major categories:
- Quality system Requirements, with which the manufacturer should comply, regarding the development and the manufacturing of the product.
- Safety and reliability requirements the product should meet, which includes items such as biocompatibility, software validation, electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), performance evidence, technical performance evidence, and pre-clinical and clinical evidence.
How to achieve Europe Medical Device Registration and apply CE mark ?
In order to get CE mark, you need to comply with one or more of the following requirements:
- Establish and maintain a Medical Quality Management System (QMS)
- Test your product in order to demonstrate compliance with applicable standards
- Prepare a Technical File / Design Dossier for each family of products that you wish to obtain CE mark for.
- Contract a European Authorized Representative.
- Contract a Notified Body who will audit your Quality Management System and Technical Files / Design Dossiers.
- Register your company and list your product with at least one European Competent Authority.
The actual requirements for your family of products are subjected to the classification of your devices. This classification is based on the level of risk your device contains.
Here are some examples of devices relating to product classification:
- Class I: EEG and EMG Electrodes, non-invasive. Scalpels. Dental Drills. Wound Management systems. Hearing Aid Tester.Corrective glasses. Examination gloves. Hospital beds.Scalpels. Stethoscopes for diagnosis. Stomach pumping tubes. Stretchers. Syringes without needles. Wheelchairs.
- Class IIa: All patient monitoring equipment, Syringes. Needles, for syringes. Blood oxygen analyzers. Contact lenses. Crowns. Extracorporeal Circulation Devices. Infusion cannula. Muscle stimulators. Sterilizers for medical devices. Nebulizers. Ultrasound diagnostic equipment. External ECGs.</li>
- Class IIb: Lasers Devices for application. Internal ECGs. RF Generators. Non-energized implants. Brachytherapy devices. Condoms. Defibrillators, external. Hemodyalizers. Incubators for babies. Infusion pumps. Lenses, intra-ocular. Lithotriptors. Lung ventilators. Anesthesia machines.
- Class III: Energized implants All Intracardiac applications. Bone cements, with antibiotic. Catheters, angioplasty balloon. Catheters, with radioisotopes. Collagen implants. Contraceptive intrauterine devices (IUDs). Electrodes, neurocortical. Prosthetic heart valves. Shunts, carotid artery. Sutures, absorbable . Vascular stents. Bioactive implantable devices.