A review. Novel sensor technologies are under development in a variety of medical industries, to detect specific biol., chem., or phys. processes that transmit or report valuable patient data. In parallel, there is also a growing global regulatory requirement to improve the external identification of implantable medical devices; e.g. manufacturer, device and procedure-related information. Sensor developers and manufacturers need to define a concise regulatory and commercialization plan that identifies the challenges, risks, costs and timelines of bringing such technologies to the market, well in advance of finalizing initial design requirements.