Medical Device Link.

Originally Published MDDI December 2001

NEWS & ANALYSIS

Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Jon Huntsman Jr. presented wide-ranging reform recommendations to Japan that are intended to further deregulate the economy, bolster competition, and open markets in that country. The proposal was offered during an October meeting of trade ministers in Singapore.

The recommendations are being offered as part of a Regulatory Reform and Competition Policy Initiative that was launched in June under the U.S.-Japan Economic Partnership for Growth by President Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi.

Ambassador Huntsman says, "These reform proposals are intended to help clear away the thicket of regulations that have limited Japan's potential to return to economic growth. As the world's second-largest economy, Japan's recovery is crucial to the global system."

Recommendations included in the proposal are focused on several key sectors of industry, including medical devices and pharmaceuticals. In the medical device sector, specific recommendations have been made in the areas of healthcare system reform, medical device and pharmaceutical pricing and regulatory reform, acceptance of foreign clinical data, and nutritional supplement liberalization, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

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