4 November 2022

In November, we are celebrating the 20 year anniversary of our first digital copy of the GMDN. The GMDN has grown incredibly in this time and is now used globally by more than 150 countries.

The GMDN is a system that provides health authorities and regulators, health care providers, manufacturers and others the ability to exchange medical device information and support patient safety.

November marks 20 years since the first GMDN digital copy in the form of a CD-ROM was issued.

At the time (November 2002), GMDN held a meeting for less than 50 people to distribute the CD and by 2005 this had grown to 130. Back then, the GMDN had 8,102 Terms.

It was shortly after this in 2006, our membership went online and there was a steady increase until our ‘Basic Membership’ was launched in 2019 making the GMDN available to all at no cost.

From a handful of CD-ROM users 20 years ago, to now in 2022 with more than 15,000 members using the GMDN worldwide, we are proud of the continued development and the hard work the team put into growing the effective use of GMDN globally. The GMDN now holds information on 24, 970 active Terms.

Find out more about the history of the GMDN here: www.gmdnagency.org/our-history