A WIPO report released on 24 September 2025 warns that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) -diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and cancer - now account for over 40% of deaths in least developed countries (LDCs). Despite rising demand, access to advanced medical technologies (MedTech) remains scarce, with ecosystems constrained by weak IP regimes, inadequate regulation, limited finance, and shortages in biomedical capacity. Case studies from Bangladesh and Rwanda highlight gaps in regulatory authority, local innovation, and financing pathways.
For India, though not an LDC, the lessons resonate. India imports over 70% of its medical devices, with high-end products such as MRI machines and stents largely foreign-sourced. The government’s National Medical Devices Policy (2023) and the PLI scheme for MedTech aim to reduce dependence, but challenges remain in harmonising regulation, scaling local manufacturing, and integrating IP support into incubation systems. Strengthening triple-helix collaboration, between government, academia and industry, could help India build resilient MedTech capacity in low-resource regions while also emerging as a supplier to LDCs.
What is the triple helix model? → An innovation framework where government sets enabling policies, academia drives research, and industry commercialises and scales technologies. Aligned action across all three can accelerate MedTech innovation.
India’s Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, PLI incentives, and plans for a MedTech parks network can be strengthened by drawing from WIPO’s lessons: adopt regulatory convergence, incentivise regional demand pooling, and build IP-savvy incubators.
Follow the full news here: WIPO Report PDF
