India to ease US trade barrier pressure for medical devices

The plan may include subsidies, mutual recognition pacts for easy acceptance of Indian items

- Priyanka Sharma

While Indian medical device exports to the US rose between May and August 2025, the trade deficit continues to grow as imports from the US outpaced exports.

(PTI)

India is working on a plan to help domestic medical device makers cope with stiff US tariffs and regulations that make exports difficult and costly.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals' (DoP) plan could include subsidies for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to reduce high compliance costs, mutual recognition agreements with the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) so that Indian products are accepted more easily, expansion of accredited testing labs, and setting up of a dedicated export facilitation desk to guide exporters through the procedures, according to documents reviewed by Mint and two people familiar with the matter.

Indian exporters currently face significant trade barriers, including high FDA registration costs. They are required to hire US-based agents, and their Indian clinical data is often not accepted, with the US insisting on local studies. All these factors make exports slow and expensive.