ANAB Signs IAAC MLA for Medical Devices

The InterAmerican Accreditation Cooperation (IAAC) on September 9 approved ANAB as a member of the IAAC multilateral recognition arrangement (MLA) for accreditation of medical devices management systems certification bodies. The main scope is ISO/IEC 17021 and the sub-scope is ISO 13485.

IAAC is a regional association of accreditation bodies whose mission is to promote cooperation among accreditation bodies and interested parties of the Americas, aiming at the development of conformity assessment structures to achieve the improvement of products, processes, and services.

The IAAC MLA is an agreement among accreditation bodies by which they recognize the accreditations issued by each other. This system of mutual recognition of accreditations is based on the proper operation of the accreditation systems of the bodies that join the arrangement. A program to establish and maintain mutual confidence among the bodies that are signatories to the IAAC MLA is required to establish and maintain an MLA.

By reducing the need for multiple assessments, IAAC’s MLAs facilitate international trade by encouraging regional and worldwide acceptance of valid certificates, registrations and results issued by signatory accreditation bodies.

ANAB expects to undergo an on-site evaluation by the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) in early 2017 as a precursor to attaining similar recognition for medical devices quality management systems under the IAF MLA.

Pictured above: ANAB’s Randy Dougherty displays ANAB’s IAAC MLA certificate for medical devices, which was approved and presented at a September 2016 IAAC meeting in Lima, Peru. IAAC Chair Ileana Martinez is on Dougherty’s left and Alexander Pineda, Chair of IAAC’s MLA Committee, is on his right.