ECONOMIC GROWTH CONTINUES TO FUEL DEVICE REGULATION IN ASIA
Growing economies, continued regulatory activity and increasing openness on the part of Asian governments to communicate with industry are creating "great opportunities" for devicemakers to shape developing Asian markets, according to Carolyn Albertson, director of international regulatory affairs for Abbott Laboratories.
"Ongoing upgrading of medical device legislation is common," Albertson said, speaking at AdvaMed's annual international meeting Oct. 31. She added that countries that never had regulations are now considering them and beginning to implement them for the first time.
Harmonization "is still spotty," Albertson said, but she noted that many countries in the region are "making concerted efforts" to learn about global practices and align their regulations with Global Harmonization Task Force guidelines.