Press Releases

AdvaMed Welcomes APEC Advancing High-Standard Business Practices For Ethical Third-Party Relationships

Contact:

Jon Dobson
[email protected]
(202) 434-7272

TOKYO, Japan – The Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) issued the following statement from Christopher L. White, chief operating officer, general counsel and secretary, following conclusion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Ethics for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) Forum in Tokyo, Japan, on July 18-20:

“AdvaMed applauds APEC’s continued focus on the importance of high-standard business practices for ethical third-party relationships impacting the medical technology industry. Third parties – which may include distributors, wholesalers, distribution or sales agents, and others – often play a vital role in ensuring patient and clinician access to advanced medical technologies overseas.

“We are delighted that the 2018 APEC Business Ethics for Small- and Medium-Sized Companies Forum – which convened leaders of over 230 public, private and civil society organizations, including 24 AdvaMed member companies – concluded with acceptance of the Tokyo Declaration supporting adoption of APEC’s Guidance for Ethical Third-Party Intermediary Relationships in the Medical Device Sector.

“The Tokyo Declaration – which AdvaMed was honored to draft – builds on the 2017 guidance document by providing an actionable roadmap with ambitious but achievable targets for distributors, associations like AdvaMed, and governments to all play a role in helping third-party intermediaries – many of which are SMEs – to strengthen adherence to high-standard ethical business practices. The guidance, which has been recognized by the APEC ministers, is available in English, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish, and also viewable via webinar, at the following link.

“Since 2010, AdvaMed has been honored to help advance the APEC Business Ethics for SMEs Initiative, now extending to 34 medical technology associations across 19 economies in the APEC region. The initiative is supported by a capacity building platform with a mentor team of over 60 members, led by AdvaMed.

“Together with our many partners, including the U.S. Department of Commerce, we have been developing and facilitating propagation of high-standard codes of ethics, which now extend to these 34 device and diagnostic industry associations in the region (of which 14 include distributors as members). Collectively, they represent nearly 13,000 member enterprises, of which over 10,000 are identified as SMEs.

“AdvaMed also welcomes launch at the forum of related consensus framework agreements by additional economies – including Japan, China and Australia – that unite stakeholders to advance ethical practices at the economy-wide level. The frameworks build on those already in place in APEC member countries Vietnam, Canada, and Peru.

“Such efforts help support robust compliance programs that safeguard the integrity of medical decision making, and a health care ecosystem where health care decisions are always in the best interests of the patient.”