There's a quiet hope that keeps circulating among medical device companies eyeing the US market. "Maybe the next round of reforms will finally speed things up." Application volume keeps climbing while the reviewer headcount stays flat, so the thinking goes that the next policy overhaul has to bring some relief. The signal FDA just sent points the other way. Not faster. Tighter. MDUFA Isn't Just a Fee Schedule — It's a Five-Year Deal Between FDA and Industry Getting a device onto the US market...

This is the second post in a series covering recurring FDA Import Alert patterns by industry. Part 1 covered food and dietary supplements; this one covers medical devices. Read More:: Container Stuck at a U.S. Port — What Triggers an FDA Import Alert for Food and Supplements Even companies with a 510(k) clearance sometimes find their shipments held at customs — and this question keeps coming up in medical device inquiries. Clearance and the ability to actually clear customs are two different...

This post is the first in a series on recurring FDA Import Alert patterns by industry. This installment covers food and dietary supplement cases; the next covers medical devices. Read more:: Trapped in Customs: The Hidden Triggers Behind FDA Import Alerts for Medical Devices Three days after his container cleared Busan and reached the Port of LA, the exporter got a frantic call from his U.S. buyer. Customs wouldn't release the shipment. The paperwork from FDA mentioned something called "DWPE"...