President Barack Obama and European leaders broached transatlantic trade negotiations at the G8 Summit in Ireland this week, drawing ardent support from medical device industry alliances here and across the pond.
Another parley round, the Transatlantic Trade & Investment Partnership negotiations, are slated to start next month, with President Obama, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, European Council President Herman van Rompuy and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron agreeing that finalizing a trade deal is a top priority this summer.
AdvaMed, COCIR (a European radiological, electromedical and healthcare IT alliance), MITA, and MedTech Europe voiced support for the TTIP talks. The 4 groups chimed in before negotiations officially opened, publishing several priority policy points.
The medtech alliances would like to see the TTIP agreement include reduced tariffs and customs burdens, single audits of medical device quality systems, common standards for marketing and compliance paperwork and a unique device identification program.
“The industry applauds efforts to begin the TTIP talk," said AdvaMed CEO Stephen Ubl in a joint statement. "TTIP will not only promote economic growth in the US and EU, but it also will help to improve patient outcomes worldwide by improving patient access to the latest innovative technologies."