FDAnews Announces Device Supplier Controls Virtual Conference, Feb. 26

Online, February 12, 2014 (Newswire.com) - The medical device industry is struggling, with a forecast of single-digit overall growth for 2014.

To cope with that, devicemakers are outsourcing more and more of their critical operations and materials, trying to wring out costs and improve their profitability.

The unintended consequence?

A much, much greater risk of supplier control violations. After all, the more suppliers you have, the more opportunities you give the FDA to find fault with your operations.

Some devicemakers say they have as many as 400 outsourced contract manufacturers and suppliers.

It's no surprise, then, that it has become increasingly difficult to manage them and be sure that all raw materials, finished products and services meet the devicemaker's required specifications as well as comply with FDA regulations.

This FDAnews virtual conference is designed especially to take the headaches out of working with an ever increasing number of suppliers. Sign up to attend and take home practical tools and invaluable tips that will help devicemakers be more confident that their outsourced work will not result in a Form 483 or warning letter.

There's simply so much that can go wrong when outsourcing. On Wednesday, Feb. 26, a panel of experts will spend the day, identifying and discussing such key problem areas as:

• What non-compliance issues most frequently trigger an audit

• Understanding global supplier monitoring requirements: Can an FDA-centric program fulfill international requirements?

• Best practices for prioritizing a supplier control approach that will work for large or small companies

• Managing supplier controls over the long haul to create good business relationships and assure FDA compliance

• What motivates a supplier to do business

• How to test SOPs against the most commonly cited sections of 21 CFR 820.50

• Verifying that supplier dossiers contain the records FDA inspectors want to see

• How to identify the warning letters that include hidden FDA requirements that tripped other companies up

• Critical documents to have at the ready to print out and produce the moment the FDA inspector demands them

Device Supplier Controls is a must-attend event for colleagues from the manufacturing floor to materials management, and the legal counsel's office to the executive suite.
• Quality assurance/quality control
• Operations
• Manufacturing
• Materials management
• Purchasing
• Packaging and labeling
• Plant engineering
• In-bound testing and certification
• Regulatory affairs
• Legal counsel

Attendee Resource Toolkit — Registered attendees will also receive the following resources to help them better manage their supplier control program:

• Slide decks from all five presentations
• FDA's 21 CFR 820.50 regulation
• A compilation of recent FDAnews articles related to supplier control problems at medical device manufacturers
• New Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA, Australia) guidance on supplier qualification for raw materials, drugmakers
• GHTF/SG3/N17:2008 Quality Management System - Medical Devices - Guidance on the Control of Products and Services Obtained From Suppliers

Meet the Faculty:
John Avellanet, Principal Consultant, Cerulean Associates
David Parkin, Supplier Development Manager, Boston Scientific
Jackie Torfin, Vice President of Quality, Heraeus Medical Components
Mike Heyl, Partner, Hogan Lovell (invited)
William MacFarland, Director, Division of Enforcement, Office of Compliance, CDRH, FDA(invited)

Conference Details:
Device Supplier Controls:
Does the FDA's Next 483 Have Your Name on It?
**FDAnews Virtual Conference**
Feb. 26, 2014 — 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EST
http://www.fdanews.com/SupplierControlsVCPR3

Tuition:
$1,297 per site -- includes virtual conference registration and audio cds and transcripts

Easy Ways to Register:
Online: http://www.fdanews.com/SupplierControlsVCPR3
By phone: 888-838-5578 or 703-538-7600

About FDAnews
FDAnews is the premier provider of domestic and international regulatory, legislative, and business news and information for executives in industries regulated by the US FDA and the European Medicines Agency. Pharmaceutical and medical device professionals rely on FDAnews' print and electronic newsletters, books and conferences to stay in compliance with international standards and the FDA's complex and ever-changing regulations.