20-Feb-15 Columbia has announced new price regulations for medical devices from Mar-15. Medicated coronary stents will be the first device to be affected, followed by cochlear implants, hearing aids and orthopedic devices. The move is expected to result in 36% reduction in prices and USD14 billion in annual savings for the national health system. [image: mashmedical]

12-Feb-15 Over 100 students and faculty members from engineering, design and healthcare disciplines gathered at a business school in Mumbai on 31-Jan to create functional prototypes of innovative, low-cost diagnostic devices, including an X-ray machine, a retinal labelling app, a wound analysis device, and a digital stethoscope. [image: Hindustan Times]

10-Feb-15 Encouraged by a relaxation of ownership rules in 2014 and a rapidly ageing population, PE firms and industry players are investing in China’s hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and device makers. The prospect of 223 million people aged 65+ by 2030 is enticing, despite risks such as rising valuations and a dearth of doctors. [image: Reuters]

06-Feb-15 Foreign producers of medical devices and supplies will be phased out of government tenders in Russia as Moscow strives to curb reliance on imports. Foreign companies’ tender applications will now be denied if there are two entries from Russia or other Eurasian Economic Union members Belarus, Armenia and Kazakhstan. [image: The Moscow Times]

23-Jan-15 India’s medical electronics market will almost double to USD11.7 billion by 2017, growing at an annual rate of 16%, an SVP of Chennai’s Medall Diagnostics said recently. Increased awareness of healthcare delivery systems, lifestyle diseases, exploding population and increased middle-class income are the main drivers. “The future of electronics is in the field of healthcare”, he added. [image: Business Standard]