The medical device will soon be disconnected from the pharmaceutical sector so that it can draw a separate and definitive line with a framework facilitating regulatory framework, said Union Minister for Chemicals, Ananth Kumar at Indian Pharma and Indian Medical Devices International Conference in the city.
Until now, the medical devices sector has been governed by the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940, which was primarily concerned with regulating the pharmaceutical industry. For pharmaceutical manufacturing, the nodal industry was the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers. Overall, the medical device industry is completely separate from the pharmaceutical sector and governed by a distinct set of legislation and regulatory framework.
In addition, in order to stimulate the "Make in India" program and reduce import dependency, the medical devices sector to be included as one of the 25 flagship industries, said Saturday Minister of the Union for Trade, Nirmala Sitharaman at Indian Pharma and Indian Medical Devices International Conference in Bengaluru.
Ananth Kumar said: “It is time for this sector to fly like butterfly and the pharmaceutical and medical devices to be spun off as a separate ministry of pharmaceutical and medical devices. I have recommended this to the Prime Minister and this request is under active consideration by the PM and PMO.”
“Like Pharma has earned respect worldwide, I hope medical devices similarly earn this respect globally and achieve global manufacturing competitiveness. Medical devices is now being made a part of 25 Make in India focus sectors,” said Ms Sitharaman at the conference amid the presence of senior representatives from Central an State government as well as top representatives from pharma and medical device sector.
The government also decided to bear the cost of effluent treatment plants and provide some basic facilities free of charge to the next medical device parks in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Maharashtra to make it competitive worldwide. This movement has the potential to reduce the cost of manufacturing medical devices in India by about 30%.
