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PROJECT PROFILE: Medical Imaging Technology Association (MITA, 2011 award)
Ever-improving image quality helps physicians to diagnose and treat a wide range of diseases. photo: NEMA/MITA
Joint Efforts Speeds U.S. Technology to Foreign Markets
ITA medical technology and regional experts teamed with the Medical Imaging Technology Association (MITA), a division of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), to allow U.S. firms to export to China and Brazil. (MITA had originally targeted China and India, but, with ITA's concurrence, dropped India in favor of Brazil due to post-MDCP-selection market conditions in India.)
MDCP Award/MITA Match: $207,140/482,927
Markets Targeted: Brazil, China
U.S. Industry Promoted: Medical imaging
Period: 2011-2014
Key ITA Collaborators:
- Gerry Zapiain, ITA Team Lead, I&A/Office of Health & Information Technologies
- Eric Hsu, Commercial Specialist, Beijing
- Jefferson Oliveira, Senior Commercial Specialist, São Paulo
Project Description:
- Monitor industry policy standards development in target markets.
- Develop relationships with key officials and advocate on behalf of the industry.
- Develop industry-specific standards manuals to train regulators.
- Educate officials on the benefits of regulatory harmonization and minimizing regulatory burden for regulators, caregivers, and patients.
Project Milestone Report (Part B)
Exports Generated: $13,161,660
Exports Per Dollar of Award: $64
MITA leveraged its MDCP award to expand patient access to clinically proven diagnostic medical imaging, radiation therapy, and radiopharmaceuticals in Brazil and China. ITA helped MITA to work to streamline government approval processes to reduce the time and cost it takes products and services to reach patients in target markets.
The project goal was to ultimately increase exports of U.S. medical imaging treatment and diagnostic equipment. As a result of MITA's three-year commitment, international standards are harmonized and superfluous regulation has been cut.
Linking Standards and Exports
For projects like MITA's where the focus is on promoting certainty and transparency in standards, conformity assessment and regulation in a foreign market, ITA allows a cooperator to impute some exports to its standards project activity. One method is to claim one (1) percent of all exports of targeted products to the foreign market resulting from standards-related MDCP project activity. This amount is based on a Deutsches Institut fur Normung (DIN) finding that standards-liberalizing activity generally results in a one (1) percent increase in gross domestic product.
MITA began claiming one percent of the exports to China for an affected classification of products after China down-classed x-ray products in 2012. The down-classification resulted from MITA's standards education and coordination efforts with China government and industry officials.
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Through NEMA, MITA is a leading standards-development organization for medical imaging and radiation therapy equipment. These standards are voluntary guidelines that establish commonly accepted methods of design, production, testing and communication for imaging and cancer treatment products. Sound technical standards of this kind improve safety and foster efficiencies in how care is delivered. MITA is located at NEMA headquarters in Rosslyn, Virginia.
In addition to its work as a standards-development organization, MITA functions as a trade association, leading the medical imaging and radiation therapy industries on legislative and regulatory issues at the state, federal and international levels. It serves as an advocate for fair legislative and regulatory proposals that encourage innovation, investment in research and development, as well as the continued global competitiveness of the medical imaging and radiation therapy industries.
MITA contact: Patrick Hope
- MITA home page
- How to apply for MDCP funding
- Contact your local Export Assistance Center
- Selected highlights of MDCP projects addressing trade barriers
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