International medtech competition review
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
The International Trade Commission, at the request of the House Ways & Means Committee, has launched a general fact-finding investigation regarding the competitive conditions affecting U.S. sales and trade of medical devices in principal foreign markets, according to an April 3 release. Japan is highlighted as a market of particular interest, following a hearing held by the committee in September in which the country's regulatory policies on medical technology were criticized as a "non-tariff barrier" (1"The Gray Sheet" Oct. 3, 2005, p. 11). The ITC will examine the most recent five-year period for which data are available, and must provide a report to the committee by March 9, 2007. In addition, the commission will hold a public hearing on the subject July 11...