The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) operates a regulatory pathway known as the FDA 510k clearance process. This process is for certain medical devices that are not considered high-risk and do not require full premarket approval (PMA). Instead, they can demonstrate their safety and effectiveness through a comparison to a legally marketed device, known as a predicate device, through a 510k submission.

When a company submits a 510k to the FDA, they provides detailed information about the device, its intended use, technological characteristics, performance data, and any relevant testing or clinical studies. The FDA then reviews this submission to determine whether the device is substantially equivalent to the predicate device.

If the FDA finds the device to be substantially equivalent, they issue a clearance letter, not a certificate, indicating that the device can be legally marketed and sold in the United States.

This clearance letter is an official communication from the FDA to the submitter, confirming that the device has met the regulatory requirements for marketing in the U.S. It does not constitute a certificate in the traditional sense, but rather serves as documentation of the FDA’s determination of substantial equivalence and permission to market the device.

In summary, the term 510k certificate is not typically used. Instead, it’s more accurate to refer to it as a 510(k) clearance or simply a 510(k) submission. The FDA issues a clearance, not a certificate when it determines that a medical device is substantially equivalent to another legally marketed device.

This clearance allows the device to be marketed and sold in the United States. So, in short, it’s possible to obtain a 510(k) clearance from the FDA, but not a 510(k) certificate.