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NEW DELHI: The government is weighing a proposal to ask American companies to produce medical devices in India that will reduce the prices. This has been one of the major issues holding back a trade deal.India’s price control on medical devices became a sticky issue with the US stressing on lifting the mechanism for coronary stents and knee implants “We can treat them as ‘special products’ with a condition to produce in India in future and pay the price difference directly to American companies – only for those patients who will avail them under Ayushman Bharat,” according to Bipul Chatterjee, executive director of CUTS International , a global public policy research and advocacy group with presence in capital cities like Washington DC.India’s medical device imports jumped 24% to Rs 38,837 crore in FY19, according to the latest export import data. The US is the largest exporter of medical devices to India, constituting one-fifth of the pie, followed by Germany, China, Singapore and the Netherlands.India slashed prices by 85% and capped the trade margins for coronary stents in 2017 and followed it up with a round of price control on knee implants.The government said the move aims to prevent unethical practices and rein in trade distortion prevalent in the industry.