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Glossary of Key Terms

TermDefinition
CDSCOCentral Drugs Standard Control Organisation โ€” India's national medical device and drug regulator
CLACentral Licensing Authority โ€” the DCGI acting in the capacity of granting central licences
D&C ActDrugs and Cosmetics Act 1940 โ€” the primary legislation for drugs, devices, and cosmetics in India
DCGIDrugs Controller General of India โ€” head of CDSCO and Central Licensing Authority
FSCAField Safety Corrective Action โ€” action taken to reduce risk of serious injury from a device already on the market
FSNField Safety Notice โ€” communication to customers/users about a safety issue
FSCFree Sale Certificate โ€” document from the competent authority of the country of manufacture confirming the device is legally sold there
GMPGood Manufacturing Practice โ€” quality system requirements under Schedule 5 of MDR 2017
IARIndian Authorised Representative โ€” entity in India legally responsible for import compliance on behalf of a foreign manufacturer
ICMEDIndia Certification of Medical Devices โ€” India-specific QMS certification scheme
IVDIn Vitro Diagnostic โ€” device used to examine specimens derived from the human body
MDR 2017Medical Devices Rules 2017 โ€” the principal subordinate legislation for medical device regulation in India
MDVPMedical Device Vigilance Programme โ€” CDSCO's post-market safety monitoring programme
ND&CT RulesNew Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules 2019 โ€” governs clinical investigations for new devices
PLIProduction Linked Incentive โ€” Government of India scheme to incentivise domestic manufacturing
PMSPost-Market Surveillance โ€” systematic collection and analysis of post-market device data
PMSRPost-Market Surveillance Report
PSURPeriodic Safety Update Report
QCOQuality Control Order โ€” mandatory BIS certification order for specified device categories
SaMDSoftware as a Medical Device
SLAState Licensing Authority โ€” state-level authority licensing Class A/B manufacturers and wholesale/retail dealers
STEDSummary Technical Documentation โ€” IMDRF-aligned format for technical documentation
SUGAMCDSCO's online portal for submission of licence applications and vigilance reports
UDIUnique Device Identification โ€” system for unambiguous device identification
UDIDUnique Device Identification Database โ€” India's national UDI registry