HONG KONG – A recent ruling by the U.S. SEC banning Big Four accounting firms from performing audits linked to China could spell trouble for Chinese biopharmaceutical companies listed in the U.S. The ban is not yet in force pending an appeal.

Year long efforts by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) to streamline and strengthen medical device regulations are finally yielding results. A pair of regulatory developments this month set the stage for more rapid growth in the sector within China and for export.

A push into emerging markets by one of Japan's largest conglomerates exemplifies the country's efforts to replicate in the medical device sector the success it once enjoyed as the biggest manufacturer of electronic products.