Conference Description:

The growth of the medical software industry outpaces the design of FDA's regulatory process. In some instances clinicians have weighed the risk of software failure against the benefits of using a device at all. Device software is often used in conjunction with other software-based devices, but their interoperability was never anticipated.

How can you anticipate and defend against the malicious remote hacking and shut down of an insulin infusion pump?
Can one software program defeat the performance capability or back up safety features of another software program?
When interoperability surface, which software manufacturer takes the lead to solve the problem and deal with proprietary software issues?
This seminar will focus on addressing these concerns and educating participants on FDA’s recent medical device software regulation strategies.
This seminar will help those involved in overcoming these commercial and regulatory obstacles. It will highlight the need for firms to remain current with technological tools and strategy to remain competitive, and ideally, outside FDA’s regulatory radar. Going further, it will instruct participants on how to apply these tools and strategies to ensure the following factors:

Software functionality
Risk identification
Software protection
Problem detection
Response strategy
For those who have addressed these issues to meet FDA’s regulatory expectations, the course instructor, a former FDA official, will help identify a basic centering point to build a regulatory profile for your software products.

Learning Objectives:
Understanding FDA legal authority
Applying FDA classifications / risk controls
Understanding FDA and NIST software guidance
Identifying the quality system regulation for risk management, software verification and validation
Identifying cybersecurity issues and developing a planned response
Identifying and resolving interoperability issues
Figuring out the scope of FDA’s mobile apps regulation
Learning about bug updates classified as recalls by FDA
Future device software applications
Who Will Benefit:
Regulatory Affairs Managers
Quality Assurance Managers
Software Design Engineers
Manufacturing Managers
Compliance Department Personnel
Hospital Risk Department Personnel
Software Program Marketers
IT Security Managers
Marketing Personnel
Topic Background:
The development and application of medical device software expands faster than can be managed by one federal agency. Although FDA relies on its own experience and expertise, input from other federal organizations, voluntary standards organizations and partnerships with industry has become a collaborative effort. At the same time, the device software industry needs to look beyond FDA itself to understand where FDA will eventually go in regulating software.

The evolution of software has created unprecedented progress and unprecedented risks to the public. The management of the unprecedented risks requires the device industry to rely on more than just FDA’s guidance to comply with its regulatory expectations. FDA can expect developers to apply voluntary standards, such as ANSI, AAMI, IEC and ISO, all of which provide information on software verification and validation. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has taken a leading role in publishing reports concerning the benefits and risks of third-party mobile applications. FDA has partnered with NIST in this effort. Likewise, NIST has published a report on cybersecurity management and wireless technology.

FDA recently published a draft guidance to help the industry address software issues in premarket submissions. The guidance sets out a baseline from which to show the adequacy of the software, but it is not an endpoint for you. Are you prepared to integrate and apply new software risk management tools for your devices?

FDA's risk classification will gradually clarify how it intends to manage the health risks. Risk factors include areas such as the following:

Cybersecurity
Interoperability
Mobile medical apps
Home use
Remote use
Software problems represent one of the most common root causes for recalls and have been associated with deaths and serious injuries as well. FDA sees firms revise software only to have it create more problems rather than solve them. The infusion pump industry is a classic example.