Applications for WHO prequalification of male circumcision devices (MCDs) are accepted only from the legal manufacturer of the product.

Eligibility principles

To meet the needs of WHO Member States and UN agencies, WHO prequalification scope for male circumcision devices (MCDs) is defined according to the following prequalification eligibility principles:

• need for MCDs for adult male populations
• appropriateness of the product for use in resource-limited settings
• requests received from WHO Member States for particular MCDs
• recommendation in WHO guidelines
• the performance capabilities of particular male circumcision devices
• and/or the availability of currently prequalified products that are similar or the same.

These eligibility criteria are reviewed periodically by WHO, in consultation with other UN agencies and relevant experts, and made publicly available by WHO on this website. WHO also obtains input from WHO Member States to determine which male circumcision devices are of priority to them.

These eligibility criteria are periodically reviewed by WHO, in consultation with other UN agencies and relevant experts, and made publicly available by WHO on this website. WHO also obtains input from WHO Member States to determine which male circumcision devices are of priority to them.

Rebranded products

WHO is aware that some manufacturers purchase finalized products from other companies, and then "rebrand" and place these products on the market under their own name or brand. Such products are also known as original equipment manufacturer products. WHO considers a rebranded product to be one that is manufactured under identical conditions at the same manufacturing site(s) as the original product. In other words, a rebranded product is identical in every respect (including the intended use) to the product manufactured by the original manufacturer, except that the product is labelled with the rebranded product name and product code, and bears the rebrander's name or brand. Rebranded products are outside the scope of prequalification, however, and not accepted for prequalification assessment.