Materials selection
Manufacturing processes
Chemical composition of materials
Nature of patient contact
Sterilization methods
Data from suppliers of materials or components – If vendor data is used, manufacturers should obtain copies of the original study reports. It is important that the laboratory that generated the reports had an experienced staff, a strong track record of cGMP/GLP compliance, and an AAALAC accredited animal science program. Usually manufacturers will want to conduct at least some confirmatory testing of their own (e.g. cytotoxicity and hemocompatibility studies).