14-Feb-17 The Indian government is planning to establish an exclusive zone for pharma and medtech in Bengaluru to give a boost to domestic production of these products under the Make in India initiative. Minister Mansukh Lal Mandaviya said the recent approval of the zone in Andhra Pradesh has attracted over 30 investment proposals. [image: Business Standard]

14-Feb-17 Japanese medical device producer Nipro will spend USD300 mn on a new factory in Vietnam, to meet rising domestic and foreign demand. The factory will make catheters and other products for dialysis for sale mainly in Japan and Southeast Asia. Nipro has relied on a Thai subsidiary to produce for these markets but has now decided to increase capacity. [image: Nikkei Asian Review / Nipro]

11-Feb-17  China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) has released rules on the recall of medical equipment. Manufacturers must take responsibility for the safety of their equipment and are obliged to have a recall mechanism in place. They are also required to investigate and evaluate equipment and recall defective items. [image: Xinhua Finance Agency]

09-Feb-17 Medical device manufacturer Cook Medical Australia has officially opened a new commercialisation and development centre in Brisbane, designed to assist businesses, entrepreneurs and researchers from across Asia Pacific to bring innovative medical products and health related technologies to market. Cook Medical Australia is committing AUD4 mn to establishing the Asia Pacific Commercialisation and Development Centre (ACDC). [image: Cook Medical Australia]

08-Feb-17 Smith & Nephew reported a 7 percent drop in profit, as tough conditions in China and Saudi Arabia kept growth in check. The company has focused on emerging markets in recent years to boost sluggish demand in the US and Europe, where it competes with Zimmer and Stryker. The company delivered growth, but not at the level it had wanted. [image: Smith & Nephew]