Makers of single-use 510(k) medical devices that use ethylene oxide (EtO) to sterilize already-marketed products would be able to switch their method of sterilization with greater ease thanks to a new pilot program announced by the US Food and Drug Administration on 19 May.
Under the voluntary 510(k) Sterility Change Master File Pilot Program, nine firms will be selected to send the FDA updated master files that detail novel sterilization processes but won’t need to submit a new 510(k). A replacement sterilization method must be an “Established Category B” or “Novel” process as defined by the agency in its