Medical device makers get six-month extension for imports

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

medical devices can continue to import and manufacture the devices for another six months if they have applied for licences, the government said on Thursday, providing a major relief to the industry.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) had set the October 1 deadline for bringing ‘class C’ and ‘class D’ medical devices under regulation as part of quality control efforts. To obtain the licences several manufacturers had submitted applications, but the government failed to provide them on time.

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“It has been decided that, in case, if an existing importer/ manufacturer who is already importing/ manufacturing any of the above said Class C or Class D Medical Devices, has submitted application to Central Licensing Authority, for grant of import /manufacturing licence in respect of the said devices) under the provisions of Medical Devices Rules, 2017, the said application shall be deemed valid and the importer/manufacturer can continue to import/manufacture the said device(s) up to six months from the date of issue of this order or till the time, the Central Licensing Authority, takes a decision on the said application, whichever is earlier,” said a CDSCO circular dated October 12.

According to the new regulation, medical devices belonging to these categories, such as ventilators, imagining equipment, oxygen therapy equipment, nebulisers, x-ray equipment, surgical robots and oncology treatment linear accelerator, can’t be sold from October 1 without a manufacturing licence. However, several manufacturers said they had filed for alicence in July but were