Conformity And Confidence: US FDA Seeks To Build Trust In Pre-Market Standards Declarations With ASCA Pilot

FDA hopes the Accreditation Scheme for Conformity Assessment pilot will make it easier to trust the declarations of conformity to standards that are made by device-makers in pre-market submissions, rather than having to ask a lot of time-consuming questions. ASCA, included in the latest FDA user-fee agreement, also has important implications for the agency's global harmonization efforts. But many questions remain about its value and viability; they were on display at a recent two-day workshop at the agency's headquarters.