Experiences of medical device innovators as they navigate the regulatory system in Uganda

Survey on Energy Harvesting for Biomedical Devices: Applications, Challenges and Future Prospects for African Countries

Self-powered biomedical devices, which are the new vision of Internet Of Things (IOT) healthcare, are facing many technical and application challenges. Many research works have reported biomedical devices and self-powered applications for healthcare, along with various strategies to improve the monitoring time of self-powered devices or to eliminate the dependence on electrochemical batteries. However, none of these works have especially assessed the development and application of healthcare devices in an African context. This article provides a comprehensive review of self-powered devices in the biomedical research field, introduces their applications for healthcare, evaluates their status in Africa by providing a thorough review of existing biomedical device initiatives and available financial and scientific cooperation institutions in Africa for the biomedical research field, and highlights general challenges for implementing self-powered biomedical devices and particular challenges related to developing countries. The future perspectives of the aforementioned research field are provided, as well as an architecture for improving this research field in developing countries.

Regulation, approval, and access of spinal implants in low-middle-income countries: a narrative review and case study

INTRODUCTION

Spinal implants play a vital role in healthcare delivery, and regulations are necessary to ensure their quality, approval, access, and use. In this article, we examine the current state of regulation and approval procedures for medical devices in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), emphasizing the situation in Tanzania.

AREAS COVERED

We conducted a systematic literature search and interviewed a local spine implant representative to investigate the approval, availability, and access of surgical and spinal implants in LMICs, particularly in Africa. Out of the 18 included articles, six referred to African regulations, with no mention of spinal implants. Our analysis revealed that LMICs face challenges in accessing implants due to affordability, poor supply chain, and lack of expertise for their application. However, surgeons have found alternative solutions, such as using lower-cost implants from Turkish manufacturers. The Tanzania Medical Devices and Drugs Authority oversees the local regulatory and approval process for implants.

EXPERT OPINION

Regulation and accessibility of spinal implants in LMICs, particularly in Africa, are limited and negatively impact patient care and best medical practice. Potential solutions include capacity building within and collaboration among regulatory organizations to improve regulatory processes and allocating financial resources to qualitative and quantitative implant access.