← 483 OBSERVATION EXPLORER

FDA 483 OBSERVATION · #102 OF 1,000 MOST-CITED

Design history file

FDA cited this observation 222 times across 205 firms in recent inspections. Below: how it breaks down by program area and fiscal year, and real examples of how FDA worded it on Form FDA 483.

BY PROGRAM AREA
Devices222
BY FISCAL YEAR
FY20267
FY202527
FY202431
FY202324
FY202222
FY20219
FY202018
FY201928
FY201834
FY201722

What this observation is associated with

Firms cited for this observation also appear in FDA compliance actions — warning letters, injunctions, or seizures — at 2× the rate of the average FDA-cited firm (16.6% vs 8.3%), across 205 FEI-matched firms.

This is an association, not causation, and reflects co-occurrence in FDA's records — not a claim that the observation caused or preceded the action.

CHECKING ACCESS

Checking your Professional access…

How FDA worded it — real examples

The design history file was not established.

Foresight Imaging, LLC · Chelmsford, Massachusetts · Devices · 2025-12-12

The design history file does not demonstrate that the design was developed following the approved design plan.

3B Medical, Inc. · Dublin, Ohio · Devices · 2025-12-10

The design history file was not established.

3D Diagnostix Inc. · Allston, Massachusetts · Devices · 2025-11-21

The design history file was not established.

R.G. Enterprises (U.S.A.) Inc. · Madison Heights, Michigan · Devices · 2025-11-05

The design history file was not established.

Longhorn Vaccines And Diagnostics LLC · Bethesda, Maryland · Devices · 2025-10-30

The design history file was not established.

Merchsource LLC · Irvine, California · Devices · 2025-10-22

Related SPEQ references

Where to read the requirements behind this observation area on SPEQ. These are SPEQ's topic and audience pages — not an FDA classification of the citation.

Medical devices

Examples are a representative sample of FDA's published inspection observations. SPEQ is not affiliated with the FDA; this is a reference view of public FDA data.

Weekly Briefing

Get the Weekly GxP Briefing

Curated regulatory intelligence — enforcement, recalls, guidance, and quality signals — in one practitioner-grade email each week. Free.

Read a past issue →