Niti Aayog to push “Make in India” for Medical devices

Medical devicesTo boost production of medical devices in India, NITI Aayog held a meeting to discuss measures like tax-based incentives and caps on distributors and retail margins of these products on Wednesday.

This discussion was a precedent to a meeting of a committee of secretaries that will be chaired by Niti Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

Niti Aayog is working on proposals to incentivise domestic manufacturing of medical devices following orders from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Another measure discussed was caps on trade margins to cut price of medical devices as opposed to capping their maximum retail prices.

The government is also mulling to amend the Prices Control Order for medical devices and the intention was to go by the trade rationalisation route.

National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), India’s drug pricing regulator, is expected to collect data like the difference between the ex-factory or landed price of various devices and their MRPs for this purpose.

Others issues discussed like the creation of a separate act to regulate medical devices, currently regulated under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.