Brussels, 22/12/2005 (Agence Europe) - Based on the results of a broad consultation which was launched on 5 April 2005, the Commission presented its text for the revision of directives 93/42/EEC on medical devices and 90/385/EEC on active implantable medical devices, on 22 December. The problem was to satisfy public requirements whilst applying higher safety standards to around 10,000 products, from bandages, glasses, prosthetic limbs and dental implants to software used to interpret and store medical imagery (EUROPE 9079). The main proposals concern the assessment of the conformity of the products, the clarification of requirements in terms of clinical assessment, the monitoring of products before and after their release onto the market, the observation of requirements by producers and specific provisions for medical devices including products created on the basis of human tissue. "This is a good illustration of the improvement in the rules of this complex and extremely diversified sector. Not only are we providing better requirements for the safety of the patient, but we are also, the same time, continuing to procure a legal framework which will encourage competitiveness", said vice president Günter Verheugen. According to the Commission, this proposal will benefit from broader support from the national authorities and industry, which consider that its adoption will provide a shot in the arm to a sector which includes 7000 companies and employs almost 300 50,000 people in Europe.