Published on Wednesday, September 11, 2024

By the A.M. Costa Rica staff


 

On Tuesday, Ministry of Health officials met with representatives from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding medical device regulations.


FDA officials attended the meeting, including Mark Abdoo, Associate Commissioner for Global Policy and Strategy, John Weiner (Director of Operations), Michelle Rodriguez (Director of FDA Latin America), and Vesa Vuniqi, Specialist in International Affairs.


The talks focused on bilateral initiatives to increase medical device regulation in Costa Rica and ensure that devices exported to the United States meet quality standards.


Mary Munive, Minister of Health, stated that "the initiative is intended to enhance the country's health regulation systems and safeguard the quality of medical devices."

Authorities agreed to improve the exchange of crucial information and foster regulatory compliance in the medical device and diagnostics industries.

In addition, U.S. specialists will train Ministry technical staff to increase the accuracy and efficiency of evaluating health-related device production.

According to the Ministry of Economy, among the sectors with the highest growth in exports were 13% in medical devices and equipment manufacturing represented in $530 million as of July 2024.

The main export markets for products made in Costa Rica are North America 10%, Europe 10%, South America 4% and Central America 3%.

FDA officials are among the several top executives from the United States who have lately visited Costa Rica. Nora Todd, the US National Security Council's Senior Director for International Economics, met with President Rodrigo Chaves-Robles last month to discuss planning for Costa Rica's hosting of the 2025 Americas Partnership Leaders' Summit.

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