January 25, 2024- The FDA announced the second Medical Device Sterilization Town Hall, where medical professionals discuss the challenges and opportunities switching from Ethylene Oxide (EtO) to other sterilization methods, the need for forward-looking collaborative activities to support reduced EtO use while assuring patients have access to medical devices, and the creation of a dedicated EtO Tiger Team to advance innovations in medical device sterilization.
Medical devices are sterilized in a variety of ways including using moist heat (steam), dry heat, radiation, ethylene oxide (EtO) gas, vaporized hydrogen peroxide, and other sterilization methods (for example, chlorine dioxide gas, vaporized peracetic acid, and nitrogen dioxide).
According to the FDA, registration is not required to attend, and it us encouraged that attendees submit questions at least one week in advance to MedicalDeviceSterilization@fda.hhs.gov.