Pakistan has commenced the commercial export of cardiac stents in limited quantities to Iran, Afghanistan, and different African countries after their successful utilization at local hospitals, it has been learned.
Speaking exclusively to ProPakistani at the 21st Health Asia International Exhibition and Conferences, Samane Shifa Foundation Chairman Dr Syed Shahid Noor said the manufacturing facility in Pakistan is limited as it currently produces stents in a single shift.
Once the capacity is scaled up from different potential investors, it should gradually increase to three shifts. Pakistani-made cardiac stents are being utilized at leading local hospitals such as NICVD and Combined Military Hospitals, making treatment accessible and affordable for patients.
The cost of local cardiac stents is Rs. 25,000, as against the imported brand that costs up to Rs. 150,000. The federal government provided funding of Rs. 331 million to NUST (Islamabad) for the development of Medical Devices Development Center in 2020.
The stents have been approved by Pakistani and European authorities and the institute received a manufacturing license from DRAP recently. Besides Bare Metal Stents (BMS), the facility also has the capacity to manufacture Drug Eluting Stents (DES) and Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty Balloon Catheters (PTCA balloon catheters).
Dr Noor mentioned that local companies have manufactured ten medical devices in collaboration with leading universities, and more than 20 devices are in the development stage.
He said the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) should also revise its regulations for promoting medical devices. DRAP demands 4,000 acres of land for setting up a plant or facility for medical device manufacturing, the same as pharmaceutical plants.
The government should modify its regulations for promoting medical device facilities at a local level. The government should make a comprehensive plan to develop the industry of medical devices that will generate high-tech jobs and help the country stabilize macro-economic indicators, he remarked.