AdvaMed Releases Compliance Guidelines For Medical Tech Companies Navigating COVID-19

The guidance addresses concerns such as legal obligations during declared national emergencies, staff volunteering, charitable donations and more.

• By Haley Samsel
• May 13, 2020

In response to the coronavirus crisis, the Advanced Medical Technology Association, also known as AdvaMed, has released new ethics compliance guidelines for companies doing business during the pandemic.

The guidance addresses shared compliance concerns and best practices developed by AdvaMed’s members as they navigate the aftershocks of the pandemic. Complementing the organization’s existing ethics code, AdvaMed’s new guidance addresses a company’s legal obligations during a declared state of emergency and charitable donations of products or equipment, among other concerns.

“This guidance seeks to help AdvaMed members and other medical technology companies develop and implement processes that both support rapid decision-making in the context of the pandemic and mitigate any related compliance risk,” said Christopher L. White, AdvaMed’s chief operating officer, general counsel and COVID action team leader.

The guidelines, developed by AdvaMed’s global compliance steering committee, also provide recommendations on approving and documenting staff seeking to volunteer in COVID-19 response efforts. Companies are also advised to support third-party virtual events providing medical education and training.

“As medtech companies supporting the public health response to COVID-19 work around the clock to produce essential medical products to help prevent, detect and treat this disease, we must continue to do all we can to help ensure patients are provided both timely and ethical access to our equipment, knowledge and trained personnel,” White said.