Originally Published MDDI December 2004Medtech SnapshotManufacturing

December 1, 2004

2 Min Read
Manufacturers: Fewer but Stronger

Originally Published MDDI December 2004

Medtech Snapshot

Manufacturing

Medical device manufacturing appears to be healthy. The charts on these pages indicate that the industry is indeed strong, with only slight decreases in the number of manufacturers.

The number of FDA-registered medical device establishments decreased just 12% from 2003 (12,560) to 2004 (11,071). Bryan Benesch in FDA's Office of Compliance says a significant source of the decrease is related to database cleanup. He notes, however, that some of the decrease is attributable to companies that in the last year have gone out of business.

If the annual registration form is returned as undeliverable by the post office, CDRH researches the status to determine whether the establishment is no longer in business. “We have done a significant database cleanup of these types of records in the last year,” says Benesch.

The only major change was in the number of FDA-registered rebuilders and refurbishers, which declined from 416 to 10. According to Benesch, the decrease is primarily the result of the agency cleaning up its files. “These establishment types are not required to be registered, and we have been canceling their registrations,” he explains.

The percentage breakdown of manufacturers remained steady across the nation. The number of manufacturers decreased fairly evenly nationwide (only Oregon and New Mexico increased, and Idaho and Louisiana remained the same as in 2003).

In September 2004, CDRH hired a new contractor to process registration and listing submissions. The phone and fax numbers have changed. The new contractor can be reached by phone at 240/276-0111; fax: 301/527-9187, or e-mail at [email protected]. For policy questions, contact CDRH at 240/276-0110; fax 240/276-0140; or e-mail [email protected].

Copyright ©2005 Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry

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