IQA & ASQ Establish Medical Devices Quality Group
The Institute of Quality Assurance and the Biomedical Division of the American Society for Quality have set up a Medical Devices Quality Group (MDQG). This group is unique in that it will provide a forum for sharing knowledge, networking and fostering working relationships between quality professionals in the UK and the US.
Discussions about formation of MDQG have been taking place since the start of the year with representatives from a number of interested organisations including IQA, ASQ, BSI and ABHI. The Group has already established contact with a large number of people from the medical devices industry (manufacturers, suppliers, notified bodies, consultants etc) who have expressed an interested in joining and it is now at the stage when it can formally launch itself and allow people to sign up for membership.
The MDQG's aims are to:
- provide an international forum to promote a consistent approach to quality for medical devices
- inform members about/provide access to cost-effective conferences, workshops, publications etc
- offer a website service for quality improvement and regulatory issues within the medical devices community
- expand the international network for medical device QA/RA professionals
- develop partnerships to create an environment of knowledge sharing and co-operation
Details of how to join are available from our website www.thecqi.org/mtqg
The first activity of MDQG will be to run a high level seminar entitled The New Global Era: ISO 13485: 2003 - The International Quality System for Medical Devices. Speakers will be from the USA and the UK: Ed Kimmelman, Chair ISO/TC 210 Working Group 1, Dr Eamonn Hoxey, Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics, Glen Emelock, Senior Partner the CRO Group, Susan Jacobs, President QMS Consulting Inc., Paul Brooks, Head of Notified Body BSI Product Services. The seminar will be held at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain on Thursday 18th September. Details of the event and booking forms can be obtained from our website.
For further information, please contact: Mike Debenham, Institute of Quality Assurance, tel: 44 (0)20 7245 6722, fax: 44 (0)20 7245 6788, e-mail: mdebenham@iqa.org
Ends
Date of release: 2 July 2003