#384: Insights from an Ex-FDA Investigator: Compliance, Quality Systems, and MedTech Trends

Global Medical Device Podcast · 26 Sept 2024 · 44m · Episode 384

What this episode covers

Vincent Cafiso, Director of Quality and Regulatory Services at Creo Consulting and former FDA investigator, discusses the critical need for MedTech companies to align R&D testing environments with production standards to avoid costly rework and data rejection. He highlights common pitfalls in design controls, such as missing real-time aging data and inadequate documentation in Design History Files, urging companies to integrate quality validation early in the development process. Cafiso also emphasizes the importance of management responsibility and breaking down organizational silos through skip-level meetings to maintain a collaborative, startup-like culture as companies scale from garage startups to enterprise levels.

Most relevant to

founders before launch, early-stage companies, companies scaling up and large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Creo Consulting, Greenlight Guru
Also
FDA, IVDR, PMA

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Let's Combinate · 45m

    123 - Uncovering HUGE Quality Issues, Inspection Readiness in 2024, Data Integrity, AlCOA+/PIC/S and Critical Thinking in Quality Management with Peter Baker

    Peter Baker, President of Live Oak Quality Assurance and former FDA Drug Investigator, discusses his career uncovering data integrity breaches in overseas manufacturing facilities. He explains that 99% of data integrity issues stem from poor process design and 'right environment' failures rather than human error, urging companies to shift from compliance-focused checklists to quality-driven critical thinking. Baker highlights specific field failures, such as the manipulation of product quality by blending failed batches with passing ones, and emphasizes the importance of honest reporting of unknown discrepancies to ensure patient safety.

  • Let's Combinate · 17m

    217 - 5 Fixable Problems Holding Back Drug–Device Programs

    Subhi Saadeh, founder of Let’s Combinate BioWorks, outlines five critical quality issues in drug-device combination products, drawing on his experience at Pfizer, Gilead, and Baxter. He addresses documentation misalignment in design transfer, late manufacturing input, arbitrary sampling plans, unclear method transfer ownership, and supplier qualification gaps. Saadeh proposes solutions such as integrating pharma change controls with device design plans, embedding DFM/DFA reviews, and adopting PPAP frameworks for component qualification. The episode emphasizes harmonizing drug and device development processes to ensure scalable, compliant, and patient-ready solutions.

  • Let's Combinate · 52m

    128 - Former FDA Inspector and Managing Consultant, Vin Cafiso: Cadavers/Autopsies, Tales from FDA Inspections, Understanding the QMSR, and Quality Culture

    Vin Cafiso, former FDA Consumer Safety Officer and Managing Consultant at Practical Compliance Results, discusses the transition from the Quality System Regulation (QSR) to the Quality Management System Regulation (QMSR) and its impact on small medical device companies. He explains how FDA inspection methodologies are shifting from issue-focused 483s to process-based QSET audits, emphasizing the importance of understanding quality culture through simple engagement rather than rigid metrics. Cafiso shares insights from his career at companies like BD and Smith & Nephew, highlighting how starting as an investigator builds a strong foundation for industry roles by providing a broad view of quality systems across diverse products and company sizes.

  • Let's Combinate · 59m

    071 - Steel Industry to MedTech & Important Quality Systems with Etienne Nichols

    Etienne Nichols, host of the Global Medical Device Podcast and Medical Device Guru at Green Light Guru, discusses his transition from the steel industry to MedTech and his work on combination products. He emphasizes that document control (21 CFR 820.40) is critical for preventing costly errors, illustrating this with an anecdote about saving a $100,000 steel coupling from being scrapped due to a decimal error. Nichols argues that management responsibility is the most important quality system element, as it sets the cultural tone for prioritizing quality over speed, and highlights the importance of strong purchasing controls to ensure quality flows to contract manufacturers.

  • Being an Engineer · 37m

    S1E12 Simplifying Quality Management | Jon Speer

    Jon Speer, founder of Greenlight Guru, explains how his frustration with managing medical device quality via Excel spreadsheets led to the creation of a dedicated QMS software platform. He details the transition from chemical engineering to medical device systems, highlighting the specific pain points of manual data merging and the high validation burden for electronic records. The episode covers Greenlight Guru’s development, its focus on design controls and traceability matrices, and the regulatory challenges of FDA submissions and ISO 13485 certification for startups.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Global Medical Device Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.