New regulations on medical devices in Europe: what to expect?

Medical devices (MDs) contribute to improve quality and effectiveness of healthcare. The MD industry is a heterogeneous, innovative, dynamic and growing sector. The existing regulatory framework for MDs has been in place for 20 years and needed a revision. In September 2012, the European Commission published a proposal for a new regulation on MDs which was amended by the Parliament in October 2013. This new regulation aims to harmonize practices, increase transparency and guarantee a high level of health protection. We conducted an analysis of the proposal to highlight the major upcoming changes.