On September 6, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, issued a white paper about the oversight and legislative role of Congress related to the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in areas under the HELP Committee’s jurisdiction, including health and life sciences. In the
FDA Releases Discussion Paper on AI in the Drug and Biological Product Development Process
Last week, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (“FDA” or the “Agency”) issued a second discussion paper on the use of artificial intelligence (“AI”) and machine learning (“ML”) with respect to drug and biological products, this time focusing on the use of AI/ML in the drug and biologic development process, “Using Artificial Intelligence &
FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Electronic Systems, Records, and Signatures in Clinical Investigations
On March 15, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) issued a draft guidance entitled Electronic Systems, Electronic Records, and Electronic Signatures in Clinical Investigations: Questions and Answers (2023 Draft Guidance). The 2023 Draft Guidance revises the draft guidance for industry the Agency issued in June 2017 entitled Use of Electronic
3 Takeaways Digital Health Innovators Should Be Watching in the PREVENT Pandemics Act
On January 25, 2022, Senators Patty Murray and Richard Burr (Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, respectively) released a “discussion draft” of bipartisan legislation—the Prepare for and Respond to Existing Viruses, Emerging New Threats, and Pandemics Act (“PREVENT Pandemics Act”)—which contains notable provisions related to digital health.
5 Digital Health Issues to Watch at FDA in 2022
As we kick off 2022, several recent developments from FDA suggest that this year could be pivotal for the Agency’s digital health priorities. From new FDA offices and artificial intelligence guidance, to FDA’s user fee commitments and must-pass legislation in Congress, this post outlines five key issues to watch in 2022 related to FDA and
FDA Releases AI Action Plan
FDA has long recognized the significant potential of artificial intelligence- and machine learning- (AI/ML-) based software as a medical device (SaMD) to transform health care as well as the unique challenges presented by AI/ML-based software under the Agency’s traditional medical device regulatory framework. On January 12, 2021, FDA issued the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML)-Based Software
FDA Issues Final Guidance on Multiple Function Digital Health Software and Other Devices
On July 28, 2020, FDA announced the publication of a final guidance on Multiple Function Device Products: Policy and Considerations that outlines FDA’s evolving approach to the regulation of multiple function device products, including software.
The concept of “multiple function” products was introduced by the 21st Century Cures Act (“Cures Act”) of 2016, which
The Potential Benefits of Digital Health Technology in Managing COVID-19
The COVID-19 crisis is demonstrating the potential of digital health technology to manage some of our greatest public health challenges. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has issued a call to action for technology companies to help the science community answer high-priority scientific questions related to COVID-19. The Centers for Disease Control
COVID-19: FDA Regulatory Considerations for Digital Health Solutions
Digital health companies are playing an important role in the global response to the COVID-19 public health emergency. For example, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued a Call to Action to the tech community requesting help in answering urgent scientific questions about COVID-19. As readers of this blog are aware, some
FDA Issues Updated Guidance on the Regulation of Digital Health Technologies
On September 26, 2019, the FDA issued two revised guidance documents addressing its evolving approach to the regulation of digital health technologies. These guidances primarily describe when digital health solutions will or will not be actively regulated by FDA as a medical device. In parallel, FDA also updated four previously final guidance documents to ensure alignment with the new approaches being adopted by the Agency.
As background, FDA issued draft guidance documents in December 2017 that sought to implement section 520(o)(1) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (“FDCA”), which was enacted by Congress in the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 (the “Cures Act”). Those guidance documents raised a number of issues that we discussed on this previous alert.
After receiving comments from stakeholders, the Agency responded by issuing: (i) a revised draft guidance document for clinical decision support (CDS) software (“Clinical and Patient Decision Support Software” or the “CDS Draft Guidance”) and (ii) a final guidance document for other software functions exempted by the Cures Act (“Changes to Existing Medical Software Policies Resulting from Section 3060 of the 21st Century Cures Act” or the “Software Policies Guidance”).
Here are key takeaways on FDA’s newly-issued guidance:
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