India’s medical device exports cross USD 4 billion in FY25; focus on scaling global market share: Secretary, Department of Commerce

A Chintan Shivir on “Strengthening India’s Medical Devices Export Ecosystem” was organized by the Department of Commerce in collaboration with the Department of Pharmaceuticals and the Export Promotion Council for Medical Devices (EPCMD) at Vanijya Bhawan, New Delhi. The event brought together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, exporters and sector experts to deliberate on strategies for strengthening India’s global competitiveness in the MedTech sector.

The discussions were held under the theme “Achieving 30@2030 – USD 30 Billion Market Size by 2030.” The event witnessed participation of over 150 participants from government, industry, regulatory bodies and the broader medical devices ecosystem.

The Chintan Shivir served as a platform for structured engagement between the Government and industry stakeholders to identify key policy priorities, address regulatory and infrastructure bottlenecks, and explore emerging opportunities for strengthening India’s medical devices manufacturing ecosystem and export capabilities.

India’s medical devices sector has emerged as a critical component of the country’s healthcare and manufacturing landscape. With growing global demand for affordable and high-quality medical technologies, India is increasingly positioning itself as a reliable manufacturing and export hub.

In the inaugural session, Forum Coordinator, AiMeD, Shri Rajiv Nath shared the industry perspective and emphasized the need for continued government–industry collaboration to address global regulatory challenges and scale domestic manufacturing.

Addressing the gathering, Joint Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Shri Aman Sharma highlighted the importance of focusing on the quality of medical devices manufacturing in the country and emphasized that both industry and regulators need to work together towards this objective.

Delivering the special address, Additional Secretary and Director General, Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Shri Lav Aggarwal emphasized the need to grow faster by addressing structural issues. He highlighted the role of trade policy measures and export promotion initiatives in expanding India’s presence in global medical devices markets.

The Chintan Shivir was formally inaugurated by Secretary, Department of Commerce, Shri Rajesh Agarwal. In his inaugural address, he emphasized that India must move beyond its identity as the “Pharmacy of the World” to emerge as a global MedTech manufacturing hub.

Noting that India’s medical device exports have crossed USD 4 billion in FY25, Shri Agarwal highlighted the need to significantly enhance India’s global market share over the next decade with a strong focus on high-value manufacturing, research and development investments, incremental innovation and regulatory harmonization. He also emphasized the broader goal of achieving a USD 30 billion medical devices market by 2030 while leveraging India’s significant domestic market for scaling.

The Chintan Shivir featured three thematic sessions focusing on key aspects of strengthening India’s medical devices export ecosystem.

The first session, titled “Global Trade Deals and India’s MedTech Exports: New Pathways Opened by Global FTAs,” deliberated on opportunities emerging from India’s expanding network of trade agreements and strategies for enhancing market access in global markets.

The second session focused on “MedTech Export Infrastructure and Global Brand Building,” highlighting the need to strengthen manufacturing clusters, expand testing infrastructure and build global brand recognition for Indian medical devices.

The third session discussed “Evolving Regulatory Frameworks to Support Medical Device Exports,” with emphasis on regulatory harmonization, streamlining approval processes and improving coordination between industry and regulators to facilitate exports.

The Chintan Shivir concluded with discussions on actionable pathways for strengthening India’s medical devices manufacturing ecosystem and enhancing export competitiveness. The learnings from the Chintan Shivir will help the Department of Commerce leverage the advantages of India’s medical devices industry and promote a vibrant export ecosystem through active engagement with the Department of Pharmaceuticals, CDSCO and EPCMD.

Regulatory harmonization for medical devices drives export policy to expand global market access and manufacturing competitiveness. Strengthening India's medical devices export ecosystem focuses on regulatory harmonization, streamlining approval processes, and coordination between industry and regulators to reduce compliance bottlenecks and facilitate exports, supported by trade policy measures to improve market access. Complementary measures include development of manufacturing clusters, expansion of testing and certification capacity, and incentives for research and development and innovation to build global brand recognition and scale high value manufacturing.