The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is issuing a final rule to establish requirements for the medical device De Novo classification process under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act). This final rule establishes procedures and criteria related to requests for De Novo classification (“De Novo request”) and provides a pathway to obtain marketing authorization as a class I or class II device and for certain combination products. These requirements are intended to ensure the most appropriate classification of devices consistent with the protection of the public health and the statutory scheme for device regulation. They are also intended to limit the unnecessary expenditure of FDA and industry resources that may occur if devices for which general controls or general and special controls provide a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness are subject to premarket approval. The final rule implements the De Novo classification process under the FD&C Act, as enacted by the Food and Drug Administration Modernization Act of 1997 (FDAMA) and modified by the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA) and the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act).

Regulatory Impact Analysis

Medical Device De Novo Classification Process (PDF 366KB)

Docket:  FDA-2018-N-0236

Federal Register: 86 FR 54826, October 5, 2021