The current COVID-19 pandemic has placed an unprecedented strain on healthcare systems worldwide. It has demanded efforts above and beyond the norm from the medical technology industries, which has strived to meet the extra demands placed on them.

Corporate members, represented by DITTA member organisations, have being proactive throughout the pandemic, ensuring supply of respiratory assistance devices (ventilators), patient monitoring systems and medical imaging equipment (X-ray, ultrasound and Computed tomography - CT). They have also reconfigured their supply priorities to meet the increased demand in affected countries and regions around the globe.

DITTA has also remained active at international level. Together with our partners and fellow organisations representing innovative health industries, we have been unified in our welcome for the United Nations General Assembly Resolution on “International Cooperation to ensure global access to medicines, vaccines and medical equipment to face COVID-19". Read more about this here.

We issued a joint statement during the 73rd World Health Assembly.

Together, we are fully committed to the goal of accelerating the development, production and equitable global access to safe, high-quality, effective and affordable COVID-19 priority medical products. We want to ensure that, in the fight against COVID-19, no one is left behind. DITTA remains pro-active and is leading efforts to maximise the use of digital technologies, as well as strengthening cybersecurity where patient safety and health information are at stake. For our industry and together with regulators and healthcare providers, this remains a critical priority for which there are shared responsibilities.As the IMDRF has recently adopted its guidance on cybersecurity of medical devices, DITTA - in collaboration with the IMDRF - has organised a joint virtual workshop on 21 September 2020. This is expected to be highly successful with the maximum number of participants (500) already achieved.You can read more about the Workshop here.

More news to follow soon…

Nicole Denjoy

DITTA Chair

September 2020