The government proposed amendments that would set up an inventory control mechanism to prevent panic buying and drug hoarding following the planned withdrawal of some drugs from the Taiwanese market, Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) data showed that as of the end of last month, 47 drugs are to be withdrawn from the Taiwanese market.
Most of these drugs have alternative options, the FDA said, adding that 25 share the same ingredients, dosages and dosage forms with other generic drugs, and 21 have substitutes with the same ingredients or mechanisms.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
Only one drug would stop production by the end of next year, it said.
Shih yesterday said that the FDA has submitted proposed amendments to the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (藥事法), which would require pharmaceutical companies to report plans to discontinue a drug’s production at least six months in advance.
The amendment also seeks to authorize the FDA to control the inventory of drugs when facing a supply shortage, he said, adding that the ministry plans to initiate a special drug import project in response to the planned discontinuation of an immunosuppressive drug next year.
Although pharmaceutical companies reported that supplies of the 47 drugs would be unstable over the next six months due to reduced production or plans to exit the market, only immunosuppressive agent cyclosporine would stop being produced, Shih said.
The company would continue to supply the drug until the end of the year, he said.
Companies that produce essential medicines must report to the FDA six months in advance if they plan to reduce production or withdraw from the market, but that is not mandatory for non-essential drugs, Shih said.
Sometimes those are reported at short notice, leaving the FDA with very limited time to assess and respond to the situation, he added.
The proposed amendment includes three main points, Shih said.
First, companies that produce any type of drug would be required to report to the FDA plans to reduce or stop production at least six months in advance.
Second, the FDA would be authorized to oversee inventory control when a drug is facing potential supply shortage due to discontinuation or lower production.
Hospitals often scramble to stock up on those drugs, causing other hospitals or pharmacies to experience a shortage earlier, he said.
Third, companies would be asked whether they want to adjust their drug prices.
The National Health Insurance Administration had asked the companies producing the 47 drugs if they want to change their prices, but they said their plan to discontinue supply was due to global supply readjustment, not pricing, Shih said.
Faced with potential drug price increases due to US President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, the special resilience act has allocated NT$20 billion (US$654.8 million) for drug price adjustments, he said.
However, for long-term drug industry resilience, the ministry must boost the public’s confidence in generic drugs, he added.
Additional reporting by Chiu Chih-jou
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
RSS