The FDA and Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Washington, recently signed an agreement to streamline the regulatory process for developers of wireless medical devices by coordinating their overlapping jurisdictions in this area, according to the Hearing Industries Association (HIA), Washington. FDA oversees the safety and effectiveness of medical devices, and FCC regulates wireless telecommunications.
The agreement was signed as part of a 2-day session related to wireless communication technologies, which many view as having enormous growth potential in many medical areas.
Various groups stressed the need for agency flexibility as emerging technologies hold great promise, both as separate systems and as applications connected to personal communication devices.
The effort is also related to federal efforts to support the centralization and improved access of patient health records throughout the medical system.
The agencies are accepting comments from interested parties through August 16.
[Source: HIA]
