The WHO’s addition of Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp’s (高端疫苗) COVID-19 vaccine to its pool marks the first time the world body has authorized a Taiwan-made vaccine and it is an endorsement of the country’s vaccine industry, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said yesterday.
Medigen on Tuesday announced an out-licensing agreement with the WHO’s COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) and the UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool, which makes its vaccine technology available to people in need worldwide.
Pharmaceutical companies are required to provide toxicology results, animal and clinical trial statistics, as well as production data for the C-TAP initiative to review, Hsueh said, adding that the information requirements do not differ significantly from an application to the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization.
Photo: CNA
C-TAP’s announcement was an affirmation of Taiwan’s vaccine manufacturing industry, he said.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices head Lee Ping-ing (李秉穎) said that the WHO’s approval of Medigen’s vaccine speaks volumes, as the organization examined the vaccine with the help of experts, and deemed that the manufacturing process and technology are mature.
Medigen’s vaccine has had fewer adverse reactions than other messenger RNA (mRNA) or adenoviral vector vaccines, Lee said.
Many of the WHO-validated COVID-19 vaccines also used immune-bridging, but they were not required to pass phase three trials due to provisions allowed in emergency use.
An international body authorizing a vaccine developed using government funds is “a good thing,” Lee said.
Shih Shin-ru (施信如), a professor in Chang Gung University’s Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, said that authorization of Medigen technology for WHO use would allow other countries and companies to develop non-mRNA-based vaccines to help protect people who previously had adverse reactions or cannot receive mRNA-based vaccines.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
‘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
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting