Organized by the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, the virtual meeting of the Global Harmonization Working Party’s general secretariat and related specialist groups was expected to be attended by more than 32 representatives of the nonprofit organization’s member states.

Ali Al-Dalaan, the body’s chairman and executive vice president of the SFDA’s medical devices sector, will chair the gathering.

The GHWP aims to study and recommend ways to harmonize medical device regulations, requirements, procedures, and standards.

America, represented by the US Food and Drug Administration, will participate for the first time as a full member, in addition to the Inter-American Coalition for Regulatory Convergence for Medical Technology Sector, which includes countries such as Brazil, Canada, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, and Chile.

The Global Medical Technology Alliance will also take part in the meeting with organizations from several European and North and South American nations.

During the meeting, member states were due to follow up and review the work of scientific and technical teams that have been looking into the latest medical technologies in diagnosis, treatment, and commercial and industrial exchange.

The GHWP includes more than 32 regulatory bodies, and a number of consultants with regulatory expertise from the US, Europe, and Japan.

It coordinates on an ongoing basis with strategic partners such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the World Health Organization, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the International Medical Device Regulators Forum.

The working party’s goal is to create an environment of homogeneity and legislative convergence, while also developing regulatory systems and legislation for medical devices and products in line with international best practices.

It also seeks to help emerging countries build control systems and benefit from the knowledge and experience of the organization’s members.

The Kingdom participates in all nine scientific and technical work groups in addition to chairing the groups for pre-marketing requirements in medical software, and quality management systems for medical devices, auditing, and evaluation.