The Malaysian government recently announced seven new entry point projects (EPPs) in the healthcare industry. The new EPPs are part of a government initiative to attract global medical device companies to the country and to increase Malaysia’s role as a major player in Asia’s medical device market. EPPs are part of Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Program, launched in 2010 with the goal of stimulating the country’s private sector and increasing gross national income by 2020.
The Malaysia government has identified four EPPs that will focus on a specific category of medical device. EPP7 will concentrate on in-vitro diagnostics (IVD), EPP8 on single-use devices (SUD) such as catheters and wound care, EPP9 on orthopedic devices, and EPP12 on refurbished medical equipment.
Currently, the Malaysian medical device market is valued at about US$900 million. Between 2005 and 2009, medical device imports increased about 10% annually. According to the Ministry of Health, additional goals in the initiative include passage of the Medical Device Act Bill. The Bill has been under review since September, 2011 and, if passed, would require registration of all medical devices imported or sold in Malaysia.