Developing an equivalent to the National Medicines Policy for medical devices

While Australia has enjoyed the benefits of a National Medicines Policy (NMP) for many years, there is no equivalent national policy for medical devices. This is despite an established medical device legal framework that spans multiple departments across the Australian Government. The existing NMP offers an effective and proven benchmark for the development of a national medical devices policy. The four NMP principles of industry, standards, access and use are applicable to all phases of the medical device life-cycle and align with existing medical devices policy. This article proposes that Australia's approach to medical devices stands to benefit from an equivalent whole-of-government policy.