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Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement

US Trade Representative Michael Froman is flanked by Japan’s Trade Minister Akira Amari (left) and Malaysia’s chief negotiator Datuk J. Jayasiri.

On Oct 5, 2015, 12 countries including the USA and Malaysia reached agreement on the TPPA. The agreement will be tabled in the Malaysian Parliament soon. The full text of the agreement has not been disclosed to the Malaysian public yet. Therefore, Straits can only speculate on the impact of the TPPA on the Buy American Act as it relates to orthopaedic devices that are manufactured in Malaysia.

If the TPPA creates the desired inroads into the BAA, legal manufacturers in the USA will be enabled to supply Malaysian manufactured orthopaedic devices to American government agencies including the American armed forces healthcare facilities without violating the BAA. The battles of the past with the American Department of Justice over violations of the BAA may soon be history as it relates to Malaysian manufactured orthopaedics devices.