CFR - Code of Federal Regulations Title 21

The information on this page is current as of Mar 22, 2024.

For the most up-to-date version of CFR Title 21, go to the Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).

TITLE 21--FOOD AND DRUGS
CHAPTER I--FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
SUBCHAPTER H - MEDICAL DEVICES

(a) If you are a manufacturer, you must report to us the information required by § 803.52 in accordance with the requirements of § 803.12(a), no later than 30 calendar days after the day that you receive or otherwise become aware of information, from any source, that reasonably suggests that a device that you market:

(1) May have caused or contributed to a death or serious injury or

(2) Has malfunctioned and this device or a similar device that you market would be likely to cause or contribute to a death or serious injury, if the malfunction were to recur.

(b) What information does FDA consider "reasonably known" to me?

(1) You must submit all information required in this subpart E that is reasonably known to you. We consider the following information to be reasonably known to you:

(i) Any information that you can obtain by contacting a user facility, importer, or other initial reporter;

(ii) Any information in your possession; or

(iii) Any information that you can obtain by analysis, testing, or other evaluation of the device.

(2) You are responsible for obtaining and submitting to us information that is incomplete or missing from reports submitted by user facilities, importers, and other initial reporters.

(3) You are also responsible for conducting an investigation of each event and evaluating the cause of the event. If you cannot submit complete information on a report, you must provide a statement explaining why this information was incomplete and the steps you took to obtain the information. If you later obtain any required information that was not available at the time you filed your initial report, you must submit this information in a supplemental report under § 803.56 in accordance with the requirements of § 803.12(a).

You must include the following information in your reports, if known or reasonably known to you, as described in § 803.50(b). These types of information correspond generally to the format of Form FDA 3500A:

(a) Patient information (Form FDA 3500A, Block A). You must submit the following:

(1) Patient name or other identifier;

(2) Patient age at the time of event, or date of birth;

(3) Patient gender; and

(4) Patient weight.

(b) Adverse event or product problem (Form FDA 3500A, Block B). You must submit the following:

(1) Identification of adverse event or product problem;

(2) Outcomes attributed to the adverse event (e.g., death or serious injury). An outcome is considered a serious injury if it is:

(i) A life-threatening injury or illness;

(ii) A disability resulting in permanent impairment of a body function or permanent damage to a body structure; or

(iii) An injury or illness that requires intervention to prevent permanent impairment of a body structure or function;

(3) Date of event;

(4) Date of this report;

(5) Description of the event or problem, including a discussion of how the device was involved, nature of the problem, patient followup or required treatment, and any environmental conditions that may have influenced the event;

(6) Description of relevant tests, including dates and laboratory data; and

(7) Other relevant patient history including preexisting medical conditions.

(c) Device information (Form FDA 3500A, Block D). You must submit the following:

(2) Product Code, if known, and Common Device Name;

(3) Manufacturer name, city, and state;

(4) Model number, catalog number, serial number, lot number, or other identifying number; expiration date; and unique device identifier (UDI) that appears on the device label or on the device package;

(5) Operator of the device (health professional, lay user/patient, other);

(6) Date of device implantation (month, day, year), if applicable;

(7) Date of device explantation (month, day, year), if applicable;

(8) Whether the device is a single-use device that was reprocessed and reused on a patient (Yes, No)?

(9) If the device is a single-use device that was reprocessed and reused on a patient (yes to paragraph (c)(8) of this section), the name and address of the reprocessor;

(10) Whether the device was available for evaluation, and whether the device was returned to the manufacturer, and if so, the date it was returned to the manufacturer; and

(11) Concomitant medical products and therapy dates. (Do not report products that were used to treat the event.)

(d) Initial reporter information (Form FDA 3500A, Block E). You must submit the following:

(1) Name, address, and telephone number of the reporter who initially provided information to you, or to the user facility or importer;

(2) Whether the initial reporter is a health professional;

(3) Occupation; and

(4) Whether the initial reporter also sent a copy of the report to us, if known.

(e) Reporting information for all manufacturers (Form FDA 3500A, Block G). You must submit the following:

(1) Your reporting office's contact name and address and device manufacturing site;

(2) Your contact person's telephone number;

(3) Your report sources;

(4) Date received by you (month, day, year);

(5) PMA/510k Number and whether or not the product is a combination product;

(6) Type of report being submitted (e.g., 5-day, initial, followup); and

(7) Your report number.

(f) Device manufacturer information (Form FDA 3500A, Block H). You must submit the following:

(1) Type of reportable event (death, serious injury, malfunction, etc.);

(2) Type of followup report, if applicable (e.g., correction, response to FDA request, etc);

(3) If the device was returned to you and evaluated by you, you must include a summary of the evaluation. If you did not perform an evaluation, you must explain why you did not perform an evaluation;

(4) Device manufacture date (month, day, year);

(5) Whether the device was labeled for single use;

(6) Evaluation codes (including event codes, method of evaluation, result, and conclusion codes) (refer to FDA MedWatch Medical Device Reporting Code Instructions);

(7) Whether remedial action was taken and the type of action;

(8) Whether the use of the device was initial, reuse, or unknown;

(9) Whether remedial action was reported as a removal or correction under section 519(f) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and if it was, provide the correction/removal report number; and

(10) Your additional narrative; and/or

(11) Corrected data, including:

(i) Any information missing on the user facility report or importer report, including any event codes that were not reported, or information corrected on these forms after your verification;

(ii) For each event code provided by the user facility under § 803.32(e)(10) or the importer under § 803.42(e)(10), you must include a statement of whether the type of the event represented by the code is addressed in the device labeling; and

(iii) If your report omits any required information, you must explain why this information was not provided and the steps taken to obtain this information.

You must submit a 5-day report to us with the information required by § 803.52 in accordance with the requirements of § 803.12(a) no later than 5 work days after the day that you become aware that:

(a) An MDR reportable event necessitates remedial action to prevent an unreasonable risk of substantial harm to the public health. You may become aware of the need for remedial action from any information, including any trend analysis or

(b) We have made a written request for the submission of a 5-day report. If you receive such a written request from us, you must submit, without further requests, a 5-day report for all subsequent events of the same nature that involve substantially similar devices for the time period specified in the written request. We may extend the time period stated in the original written request if we determine it is in the interest of the public health.

If you are a manufacturer, when you obtain information required under this part that you did not provide because it was not known or was not available when you submitted the initial report, you must submit the supplemental information to us within 30 calendar days of the day that you receive this information. You must submit the supplemental or followup report in accordance with the requirements of § 803.12(a). On a supplemental or followup report, you must:

(a) Indicate that the report being submitted is a supplemental or followup report;

(b) Submit the appropriate identification numbers of the report that you are updating with the supplemental information (e.g., your original manufacturer report number and the user facility or importer report number of any report on which your report was based), if applicable; and

(c) Include only the new, changed, or corrected information.

(a) Every foreign manufacturer whose devices are distributed in the United States shall designate a U.S. agent to be responsible for reporting in accordance with § 807.40 of this chapter. The U.S. designated agent accepts responsibility for the duties that such designation entails. Upon the effective date of this regulation, foreign manufacturers shall inform FDA, by letter, of the name and address of the U.S. agent designated under this section and § 807.40 of this chapter, and shall update this information as necessary. Such updated information shall be submitted to FDA, within 5 days of a change in the designated agent information.

(b) U.S.-designated agents of foreign manufacturers are required to:

(1) Report to FDA in accordance with §§ 803.50, 803.52, 803.53, and 803.56;

(2) Conduct, or obtain from the foreign manufacturer the necessary information regarding, the investigation and evaluation of the event to comport with the requirements of § 803.50;

(3) Forward MDR complaints to the foreign manufacturer and maintain documentation of this requirement;

(4) Maintain complaint files in accordance with § 803.18; and

(5) Register, list, and submit premarket notifications in accordance with part 807 of this chapter.

Effective Date Note:

Authority: 21 U.S.C. 352, 360, 360i, 360j, 371, 374.
Source: 79 FR 8846, Feb. 14, 2014, unless otherwise noted.

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Page Last Updated: 03/22/2024