{"id":43384,"date":"2022-08-25T09:39:53","date_gmt":"2022-08-25T16:39:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/research\/?page_id=43384"},"modified":"2025-11-19T13:23:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T21:23:57","slug":"hud","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/research\/hsd\/guidance\/hud\/","title":{"rendered":"Humanitarian Use Device Guidance"},"content":{"rendered":"
This webpage describes the policies and procedures about medical devices that have been classified by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as humanitarian use devices (HUDs). The IRB requirements for HUDs differ depending on whether the use is for clinical or research purposes and whether the clinical use is an emergency or non-emergency situation.<\/p>\n Multi-site and collaborative research.<\/strong> In some circumstances, HSD may agree to rely on another IRB for the review of a HUD application. The information in this guidance is specific to situations when UW is conducting the review. For information about situations when the UW IRB will rely on an external IRB for review of a HUD application, contact hsdrely@uw.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n IRB review.<\/strong> The FDA regulations<\/strong> require standard IRB review when clinicians use a HUD. When the HUD is being used for clinical care<\/strong>, this includes the requirement to obtain prospective IRB approval and ongoing review (except in emergency situations) per the FDA clinical investigations regulations, even though the clinical use of a HUD is not considered to be research (21 CFR 56; SOP IRB Review<\/a>). When the HUD is being used for research <\/b>(i.e., if safety and effectiveness data are being collected), prospective IRB approval and ongoing review per the FDA clinical investigation regulations is required.<\/p>\n Continuing review.<\/strong> The FDA regulations<\/strong> allow continuing review of the use of HUDs to be conducted by the expedited review process if deemed appropriate by the IRB and the HUD is being used solely for clinical purposes.<\/p>\n Consent.<\/strong> If the FDA has issued a HDE<\/a>, that means that the device is approved by the FDA for marketing and the use of the HUD does not constitute research. Therefore, the FDA and its HDE regulations<\/strong> do not require informed consent as defined by the FDA’s research regulations (21 CFR 50). However, it is HSD policy<\/strong> to require documented consent from patients prior to the clinical use of a HUD, whenever possible. Research use of a HUD requires that subjects provide a standard research consent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Because the clinical use of a HUD is not research, the IRB is not required to determine whether the device is “significant risk” or non-significant risk”.<\/p>\n Because the clinical use of a HUD is not research, the UW research HIPAA authorization form is not required and should not be used. The UW IRB expects that appropriate HIPAA notifications and clinical authorizations will have already been obtained through the standard UW Medicine process used with all patients.<\/p>\n Because the clinical use of a HUD is not research, any use of procedures involving radiation exposure that is necessary in connection with the HUD does not require review and approval of the UW Radiation Safety Committee.<\/p>\n HUDs cannot be used until UW Medicine has notified its Medicare Contractor of the intended use. This is necessary in order to obtain reimbursement for the use (and sometimes for the entire inpatient admission that was required in order to use the HUD). It is the physician’s responsibility to contact the UW Medicine Compliance or billing office for this purpose.<\/p>\n Because the clinical use of a HUD is not research, the IRB is not required to make any regulatory determinations regarding the inclusion of protected or vulnerable populations.<\/p>\n The clinical use of a HUD is not covered by the UW compensation for injury program.<\/p>\n Continuing review must follow the procedures and requirements described by the FDA in its clinical investigation regulations (21 CFR 56), even though the use of a HUD is not considered to be research (SOP IRB Review<\/a>).<\/p>\n It is HSD policy<\/strong> to require a modification to the IRB application for broadening the clinical purpose for which an approved HUD is used at UW Medicine, if physicians expect to use an approved HUD beyond the purpose(s) described in the initial IRB application. This does not require FDA approval.<\/p>\n It is HSD policy<\/strong> to copy the HDE holder on any communication in which the UW physician is informed that the IRB approval has been suspended or terminated.<\/p>\n The research use of a HUD device (e.g., research designed to gather safety and effectiveness data about the HUD) must be reviewed and approved by an IRB following standard procedures and FDA regulations. This is true even if the HUD has already been approved by the UW IRB for clinical<\/em> use.<\/p>\n For example, a researcher wishes to collect safety and effectiveness data on the FDA-approved use of the HUD.<\/p>\n For example, a researcher wishes to use the HUD for a purpose or population not approved under the HDE, and to collect safety and effectiveness data on that new use.<\/p>\n Humanitarian use device (HUD).<\/strong> A HUD is a device that is intended to benefit patients in the treatment or diagnosis of a disease or condition that affects or is manifested in fewer than 8,000 individuals in the United States per year. HUDs can be used (i.e., marketed) without having been shown to meet the standard effectiveness criteria applied to other devices. Clinical use of a HUD is not considered to be research, but the FDA nonetheless requires IRB review prior to use.<\/p>\n Humanitarian device exemption (HDE).<\/strong> The term “HDE” refers both to a type of application submitted to the FDA and also to the FDA’s approval of the application. A HDE application to the FDA is not required to provide research data demonstrating that the device is effective. However, it must contain sufficient information for the FDA to determine that: (1)<\/strong> the probable health benefit outweighs the risk of injuries or illness; (2)<\/strong> the device will not expose patients to unreasonable or significant risk; and (3)<\/strong> there is no comparable device available to treat or diagnose the disease or condition. An approved HDE authorizes marketing of a HUD.<\/p>\n HDE holder.<\/strong> The person who obtains the approval of a humanitarian device exemption (HDE) from the FDA. Once the HDE is approved, the HDE holder is responsible for ensuring that the HUD is used only under the review and oversight of an IRB.<\/p>\n APPLICATION IRB Protocol<\/a>
Print<\/a><\/p>\nGUIDANCE Contents<\/h3>\n
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Purpose and Applicability<\/h2>\n
Regulations and Policy<\/h2>\n
PROCEDURES – Clinical Use of a HUD<\/h2>\n
IRB review requirement<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nIf repeated off-label uses are expected and they were not described in the application reviewed by the IRB, it is best practice to modify the existing application for general off-label use. This does not require approval from the FDA.<\/li>\nInitial IRB review for non-emergency clinical use of a HUD<\/strong> (21 CFR 814.124)<\/h3>\n
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Consent requirement<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Device risk determination<\/strong><\/h3>\n
HIPAA authorization<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Radiation safety<\/strong><\/h3>\n
UW Medicine requirement<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Protected or vulnerable population determinations<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Compensation for injury language<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Continuing review<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Modifications<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Reporting of adverse events<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Reporting by the IRB<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Procedures – Research Use of a HUD<\/h2>\n
IRB review requirement<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Requirements for on-label research use of a HUD.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Requirements for off-label research use of a HUD<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Definitions<\/h2>\n
Related Materials<\/h2>\n
\nAPPLICATION Notification of Emergency Use, Device<\/a>
\nGLOSSARY Humanitarian Device Exemption<\/a>
\nSOP IRB Review<\/a>
\nSUPPLEMENT Devices<\/a>
\nWEBPAGE Apply for Review<\/a>
\nWEBPAGE UW IRB Approved Clinical Use HUDs<\/a>
\nWEBPAGE Report Events and New Information<\/a>
\nWORKSHEET Expedited Review<\/a><\/p>\nRegulatory References<\/h2>\n
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