Vendor and Supplier Qualification Program for FDA Regulated Industries

The FDA regulates manufacturers of medical products such as devices, pharmaceuticals, tissue products, and biologics. However, the regulations don’t usually extent to suppliers. Instead, the FDA expects the medical product manufacturer to implement an effective program to qualify and re-qualify suppliers for these regulated industries.

An effective supplier qualification program has some specific elements including determining expectations and requirements, identifying potential suppliers, evaluating them, selecting a supplier, and re-evaluating the selected suppliers. When issues arise, the manufacturer communicates with the supplier and manages corrective action.