EU MDR and IVDR Implementation: European Commission Publishes Full Proposal for Amending Transitional Regime
- Following up on its announcement in the EU Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council ( EPSCO ) Meeting, the European Commission ( Commission ) released on January 6, 2023, a proposal ( Proposal ) to amend the transitional regime under the Medical... ›
EU MDR and IVDR Implementation: Signs of Relaxing Transitioning Regime and Bridging Measures
By: Wolfgang Schönig and Robert Grohmann
Concerns over possible medical device shortages in the EU have led to two recent developments that will affect the implementation of the Medical Device Regulation [1] ( MDR ) and In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Device Regulation [2] ( IVDR ) : The EU Employment,... ›Relabeling vs. Repackaging: CJEU Backs Drug Manufacturers’ Position Against Parallel Importers
By: Robert Grohmann
In two recent landmark decisions, Novartis v. Abacus (C ‑ 147/20) and Bayer v. kohlpharma (C-204/20), the Court of Justice of the European Union ( CJEU ) strengthened the position of drug manufacturers against repackaging practices of parallel importers. The court held that, based... ›A Long Courtship for Unity – As Europe’s Unitary Patent System Is Going Live Soon, Consultations About a Unitary Supplementary Protection Certificate Gain Momentum
By: Wolfgang Schönig
After a myriad of challenges , delays , and hurdles, the setting up of the pan-European patent court, the Unified Patent Court (UPC), is finally gaining traction. On January 19, 2022, the UPC came into existence as an international organization. This date marks the... ›The European Commission’s Take on Novel Genomic Techniques (NGTs) in Light of CJEU’s Ruling in Case C-528/16
By: Wolfgang Schönig
Summary The decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in case C-528/16 essentially banning novel genomic techniques (NGTs), in particular novel mutagenesis technologies such as CRISPR-Cas9, left the community in awe. A study recently published by the European Commission (“Commission”)... ›Pay-for-Delay has a tough (antitrust) time at EU Top Court
By: Jens Hackl and Andreas Grünwald
In recent years, there have been various antitrust investigations in the pharmaceutical sector resulting in decisions of the European Commission (EC) and the European Courts.[1] In two recent rulings – “Lundbeck”[2] and “Paroxetine”[3] – the European Court of Justice (ECJ) dealt with settlement agreements... ›Software as a Medical Device in Europe – New Regulatory Regime About to Enter into Force – (Part 6 of 6)
By: Wolfgang Schönig, Stephan Kreß and Robert Grohmann
In Part 6 of our series of consecutive articles on the reformed regulatory framework under the EU Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 (“MDR”), which will govern medical devices software (“MDSW”) in the EU, we turn to the transition periods certain MDSW can benefit from before... ›Global HealthTech CEO Connect: Software as a Medical Device in the U.S. and EU Recap
By: Wolfgang Schönig
On Friday, March 26, 2021, over 180 attendees worldwide attended McKinsey & Company’s first Global HealthTech CEO Connect of 2021. The discussion focused on regulatory and legal considerations for software as a medical device (SaMD) in both the United States and Europe and specific... ›Software As A Medical Device In Europe – New Regulatory Regime About To Enter Into Force – (Part 5 of 6)
By: Wolfgang Schönig, Stephan Kreß and Robert Grohmann
The preceding articles of this series laid out how the new EU Medical Device Regulation 2017/745 (“MDR”) leads to a broader coverage of medical devices and an overall deeper level of regulation in areas already regulated before. This episode will put the spotlight on... ›Software as a Medical Device in Europe – New Regulatory Regime About to Enter into Force – (Part 4 of 6)
By: Wolfgang Schönig, Stephan Kreß and Robert Grohmann
After having dealt with the issue when software may be considered a medical device according to its intended purpose (in part 2 ) and the implications of the new risk classification regime (in part 3 ), in this part 4 of our series on Software... ›