Free e-book · ISO 10993-1:2025

ISO 10993-1:2025 is here. Is your biocompatibility file ready?

A practical guide to what changed in the biological evaluation of medical devices, and which actions your team should prioritize now.

  • The 8 key changes from the 2018 edition, before and after
  • What it means in Brazil (ABNT NBR), the EU and the US
  • A five-step plan and self-check for your devices

8-page executive guide · PDF · Written by Sobel’s Human Safety team

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ISO 9001 certified in Brazil Top Medical Device Regulatory Consultant · Latin America 2025 ANVISA · FDA · EU MDR/IVDR

What changes

What changes in ISO 10993-1:2025

ISO 10993-1:2025 is the sixth edition of the standard for the biological evaluation of medical devices. It makes biological evaluation a required part of the ISO 14971 risk management process, introduces new body-contact categories and a clearer way to count contact days, replaces the single Table A.1 with four tables of biological effects, and strengthens the role of chemical characterization, bioaccumulation and alternatives to animal testing under the 3Rs and NAMs (New Approach Methodologies).

In Brazil, the 2025 edition is now published as ABNT NBR ISO 10993-1. Read what it means for ANVISA submissions.

What’s inside

Everything that changed, in one practical guide

01

The 2025 revision at a glance

More integrated, more risk-based and more lifecycle-oriented: what that means in practice.

02

ISO 14971 and foreseeable misuse

Biological evaluation becomes a required part of risk management, including reasonably foreseeable misuse.

03

Contact and exposure categories

The new body-contact categories and total exposure time for devices with multiple contacts.

04

Chemical data and biological effects

The new Annex A and the four tables of biological effects, by type of body contact.

05

Legacy devices and life cycle

What devices already on the market need to review, from development to end of life.

06

Five steps to prepare

From mapping scope and categories to a continuous review routine.

A look inside

The before-and-after table your team will actually use

Eight themes, each with what changed and the action expected from you. Here are two of them.

Get all 8 in the guide
Theme
2018
2025
Your action
Integration with ISO 14971
Recommended, not required.
A requirement.
Build the BEP and BER on risk management.
Devices already on the market
Not clearly defined.
No automatic re-testing; a full documentation review.
Run a documentation gap analysis.
+ 6 more themes in the guide

Who it is for

Written for the teams who answer for the file

Manufacturers of medical devices, IVDs and dental devices
R&D, Quality and Regulatory Affairs teams
Companies exporting to highly regulated markets
Health-tech and med-tech startups

Quick check

Three questions before your next audit

If you answer “no” or “not sure” to any of them, a 20-minute conversation with our specialists can save weeks later.

  1. 1Does your Biological Evaluation Plan reference the 2025 edition?
  2. 2Is biological evaluation documented inside your ISO 14971 risk file?
  3. 3Can you justify every test you ran, and every test you did not?

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Clear regulatory direction

The right pathway and priorities for your product.

Fast and responsive support

We act quickly to keep projects moving.

Practical guidance

Actionable advice for your next step.

Biological evaluation of a medical device in a laboratory

Who wrote it

Written by the people who build these files every week

Sobel’s Human Safety specialists bring more than 20 years of experience in regulatory affairs and biological safety, working on submissions for ANVISA, FDA and EU notified bodies.

Sobel Human Safety team · ISO 9001 certified in Brazil

How Sobel helps

When the guide shows a gap, we close it with you

You are here

This guide

Understand the 8 changes, see the action expected for each one and self-check your file in five steps.

  • Before and after table
  • Brazil, EU and US view
  • Five-step self-check

From here, Sobel can help you

01

Gap analysis

Your current file checked against the new ISO 10993-1 structure.

02

BEP and BER

Plan and report developed or updated with ISO 14971 and the 3Rs.

03

Technical training

The new standard, NAMs and risk-based approaches for your teams.

Not sure where to start? A gap analysis is the usual first step.

Talk to a specialist

FAQ

Questions about the ISO 10993-1:2025 guide

What manufacturers usually ask before downloading, and what the guide does and does not replace.

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Is the guide really free?

Yes. You only share your name, business email and company so we can send you the PDF.

What changed in ISO 10993-1:2025 compared with 2018?

Biological evaluation becomes a required part of ISO 14971 risk management, body-contact and duration categories change, reasonably foreseeable misuse enters the scope, and the single Table A.1 becomes four tables of biological effects. The guide covers all eight changes with the action expected for each.

When was ISO 10993-1:2025 published, and what replaced it in Brazil?

ISO 10993-1:2025, the sixth edition of the standard, was published in November 2025. In Brazil, ABNT published the new ABNT NBR ISO 10993-1 in September 2026, aligned with the 2025 edition, replacing the 2022 Brazilian edition that was based on the 2018 text.

What should manufacturers do first to prepare?

Start with a documentation gap analysis: map your devices against the new contact categories, check that the Biological Evaluation Plan (BEP) and Report (BER) sit inside the ISO 14971 risk file, and justify every test you ran or did not run. The guide brings a five-step plan and a self-check.

Do devices already on the market need new biocompatibility tests?

Not automatically. A full documentation review decides whether new data are needed or whether the BEP and BER only need to be revised. A gap analysis answers this for your specific device.

Which markets does the guide cover?

The international standard and what it means in Brazil (ANVISA and the new ABNT NBR ISO 10993-1), the European Union (MDR and IVDR) and the United States (FDA).

Is it up to date, and is it available in Portuguese?

Yes. Version 1.3 already covers the Brazilian ABNT NBR edition published in September 2026, and the guide is available in English and in Brazilian Portuguese.

Will I receive other emails?

The guide comes with occasional regulatory updates from Sobel, as stated in the consent box. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link.

Be ready for the update

Download the free ISO 10993-1:2025 guide

Compliance with the new edition is essential to keep medical devices on the market in Brazil, Europe and the United States.

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