Regulatory Affairs • Health Canada

IP Rating & IEC 60601 Compliance Check

Published • • 8 min read

Combining regulatory requirements and updating the SOPs through CAPA showed that biocompatibility and labeling requirements differ enough between markets (UAE vs. India, for example) that a single biocompatibility statement can't be reused across IFUs without re-checking each market's specific requirement.

Combining regulatory requirements and updating the SOPs through CAPA surfaced a biocompatibility statement that had been reused across IFUs for UAE and India without re-checking either market's specific requirement.

One statement, two markets, two requirements

UAE and India can both require a biocompatibility statement on the same class of device and still expect different content. Reusing one statement across both IFUs assumes a match that was never actually verified.

Resolving the CAPA required:
  • Verifying the specific regulatory requirement against the applicable market's current standard or guidance
  • Applying root-cause techniques (5-Whys) where a recurring gap needed resolving
  • Aligning label and IFU content to each market's specific requirement

Where the assumption breaks

Assuming a compliance requirement is universal across markets when it is in fact market-specific leads to a missed requirement in one jurisdiction, exactly what the CAPA was opened to catch.

What the review delivered

Reviewing and updating the biocompatibility requirements for the affected markets aligned label and IFU content to each market's specific requirement, closing the CAPA.

The Real Takeaway

Biocompatibility and labeling requirements differ enough between markets that a single statement can't be reused across IFUs without re-checking each market's specific requirement.

The SOP update through CAPA exists specifically to catch that kind of unverified assumption.

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