As Taiwan prepares to enter the WTO, stricter regulations on imported medications are needed to prevent disqualified pharmaceutical manufacturers from selling drugs even after their operations overseas are closed down, a DPP lawmaker said yesterday.
Due to a lack of clear regulations regarding the extension of drug certificates, drugs with false certificates can often be found in the market. This situation will deteriorate when Taiwan is admitted to the WTO and more drugs come onto the market, according to DPP Legislator Chang Ching-fang (張清芳).
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
By law, certificates are required for any drugs that are imported into Taiwan, Chang said, and to protect consumers, tight regulations are applied on issuing certificates for new medicines. But in contrast, he said, extensions for expiring certificates are not scrutinized closely enough.
The lack of an effective evaluation process has cast doubt on at least 60 drug certificates among more than 10,000 on the market, and it is also common knowledge that one certificate is often used for many different kinds of medicine. In addition, certificates and drugs are sometimes found to be mismatched, the lawmaker said.
While Chang commended the Department of Health for enforcing stricter controls on issuing certificates for new medicine, the lawmaker lashed out at the bureau's assessment procedures regarding the extension of old ones.
Under current practice, foreign pharmaceutical producers intending to renew their existing certificates need only present approval from two places -- one from the health department of the country of the manufacturer, the other from that country's Taiwanese embassy or representative office.
Certificates will be renewed as long as the written documents are submitted, and investigations are not carried out to verify the credibility of these papers, or the quality of these manufacturers' goods.
The lawmaker gave one example to reveal the severity of the issue. He said that Ford Laboratory, a pharmaceutical factory located in New Jersey, no longer exists, but is still selling drugs in Taiwan with valid certificates.
According to information provided by the Board of Foreign Trade's office, stationed in the US, Ford Laboratory was forced to shut down in 1995 due to tax evasion. But according to records of the Department of Health, the manufacturer still has 10 valid certificates in Taiwan, and eight of them were approved for extension between 1998 and 1999, Chang said.
Chien-min (
Responding to the lawmaker's censure, Hu Yoa-pu (
"If [the agent] fails to provide a reasonable account within a month, we will order the questionable products be taken off the shelf," the official said. "But it is still within the one-month grace period, therefore the selling of Ford Laboratory products is still legal."
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
RSS