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Contract manufacturing


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For years former US President Donald Trump was banging the drum for a return to American production and reducing the country’s dependence on China. His successor, President Joe Biden has continued to push for the country to “decouple” from China, albeit using less inflammatory rhetoric. Since the Covid-19 pandemic revealed just how pronounced is the global medical device industry’s dependence on China and other parts of Asia for certain components and products, politicians and supply chain experts alike have been calling for manufacturing to be brought closer to home – but are medical device companies heeding the call? The answer is more complex than a yes or no, Jamie Davies, head of pharmaceuticals, healthcare and medical devices, Fitch Solutions, tells Peter Littlejohns.


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here’s been no shortage of alarmist content about medical device supply chains throughout the pandemic, but the worst excesses of supply chain failure never came to fruition. Of course, shortages happened, but they were mostly short term, and in most instances


Medical Device Developments / www.nsmedicaldevices.com


contract manufacturers were able to meet their obligations to companies, and companies to hospitals. “The industry did a pretty good job of meeting demand with supply where it was needed,” says Jamie Davies, head of pharmaceuticals, healthcare and medical devices at Fitch Solutions.


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