The Health Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR) held this Tuesday the discussion “Challenges and Opportunities of Medical Devices and Pharmaceuticals in the Dominican Economy” Featuring presentations by Diana Báez, coordinator of the Medical Devices Cluster, and Gerard Zapiain, Senior International Trade Specialist and Medical Technologies at the US Department of Commerce.

The president of AMCHAMDR's Health Committee, Eduardo Cruz, stated: "As with all Chamber initiatives, we firmly believe in the synergy between the public and private sectors, and academia. We hope to continue working actively alongside all participants to continue contributing to the necessary transformation of the health sector, geared toward increasingly high-quality health services for Dominicans and the development of the health sector and its components as an important driver of job growth and the Dominican Republic's economy."

In asserting that the Medical and Pharmaceutical Devices Cluster seeks to position the country as a national and international benchmark in terms of competitiveness in this sector, Diana Báez highlighted the significant growth of free trade zones in 2023, representing the highest level of exports, with US$$ 8,060 MM, of which US$$ 2,521.7 MM belonged to the medical device sector, with 38 foreign-owned companies and 32,770 jobs. The supply of equipment and services in the Dominican Republic ranges from transfusion and cellular therapy equipment, sterilization, dialysis, and neurology equipment to catheters, pharmaceuticals, wound care, and more. Furthermore, Báez highlighted that the main growth challenges for the sector are: education, productive linkages, and legal security.

On the other hand, Gerard Zapiain, Senior International Trade Specialist, Medical Technologies, US Department of Commerce, shared his vision of bilateral trade in the medical device industry between the US and the Dominican Republic. Zapiain highlighted the importance of medical technology exchange, comparative advantage, shared experience and reporting of adverse events related to medical devices, regulatory convergence, and lessons learned from recent history. He also highlighted the expected growth and contraction of medical device categories in the Dominican Republic, with a focus on medical device registration in the country, pointing out the need for collaboration between trading partners to achieve faster and more efficient delivery of medical technologies.

During the AMCHAMDR Talks, a panel discussion among experts took place, where guests discussed the transformation of the sector and the next steps to continue developing the pharmaceutical and medical device industry in the country.

The panel featured speakers from Omar Jiménez, former general coordinator of the Medical Devices Cluster; Ludwig García, president of the Dominican Pharmaceutical Industries (INFADOMI); and Wady Asbún, member of the Board of the Association of Pharmaceutical Representatives, Agents, and Producers (ARAPF). The panel was moderated by Eduardo Cruz, president of the AMCHAMDR Health Committee.

Asserting that, to continue growing, the device sector must be on the table when discussing the Dominican Republic and its foreign investment opportunities, Omar Jiménez of the Medical Devices Cluster said special attention must be paid to developing qualified human talent and continuing to invest in legal guarantees and a strong link with services and utilities.

On the other hand, Wady Asbún, from ARAPF, emphasized that the Dominican Republic has many opportunities that should be analyzed, among which he highlighted: identifying a niche where the sector can focus on the production of specialized technological parts suitable for the workforce and industries established and/or intending to operate in the country. Asbún also pointed out the importance of paying special attention to health registrations and streamlining their processes.

This AMCHAMDR Talks is made possible thanks to the support of our Elite Circle member companies: AES Dominicana, Barrick Pueblo Viejo, Cervecería Nacional Dominicana, Citi, HIT Puerto Río Haina, Grupo Humano, Inicia, Grupo Martí, Altice Dominicana, Grupo Rica, Grupo SID, Grupo Punta Cana, Grupo Estrella, and Squire Patton Boggs.

We also thank Banco Popular, Banreservas, Seguros Reservas, Banco BHD, Scotiabank, Claro, Banco Santa Cruz, Seguros Universal, and Dominican Properties for making this possible.