One of the main figures behind the founding of Yu Chang Biologics, Patrick Yang (楊育民), said he believes the company has always been irreproachable in its intentions, adding that nobody was initially willing to take on the role as chairperson and it was filled by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) only after she was persuaded to take it.
According to Yang, the reason the company has become so embroiled in election politics is because someone wants to make an issue out of it.
The mission of the company, from the outset, has been to promote the Taiwanese biotech industry, he said, adding it was never just about individuals making money.
Yang said the reason the Taiwanese team won the bid to cooperate with US firm Genentech for the development of a new AIDS drug was because of the standing of Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) and world-renowned AIDS drug expert David Ho (何大一) in the biotech field, as well as scientist Chen Lan-bo (陳良博).
Regarding the classification of Yu Chang documents, Yang pointed out the importance of confidentiality in the commercial environment and that even now he is obliged not to reveal the conditions of the initial talks with Genentech.
Chen Yuan-tsong (陳垣崇), a top researcher at Academia Sinica, said that confidentiality was crucial for international cooperation in the biotech field and expressed concern over the prospects of biotech companies willing to work with Taiwanese companies in view of the current furor involving Yu Chang.
Ho, one of three scientists hired by the National Development Fund as a board member and the joint venture’s shareholding representative on Sept. 5, 2007, was quoted in a 2007 interview with CommonWealth Magazine as touting the importance of the leadership qualities of the people at the head of a company, adding that Tsai had these qualities.
He was also quoted as saying that the significance of the drugs manufactured by Yu Chang would go beyond the commercial level and, being accredited by the US Food and Drug Administration, would have implications for Taiwan’s international standing.
Few countries outside the US, Europe and Japan are capable of marketing clinical-grade pharmaceuticals worldwide.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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