U.K. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has set up a new program called "Beyond Compliance" to tighten regulatory procedures for medical devices. The program will aim to get "earlier and more accurate information on how well new hip and knee implants are working," to ensure that the European organization in charge of regulating medical devices is using rigorous processes and maintaining high quality standards before allowing new devices into the market.
A recent investigation by BMJ and the Daily Telegraph found that faulty designs for medical devices sometimes were able to gain approval for use in Europe. The new program will liaise directly with patients and providers in the U.K. to ensure that they have access to the most up-to-date data on the safety of medical devices.
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