To help Taiwan’s pharmaceutical industry develop medicines against six types of cancer, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) announced that it would launch a pilot program offering genetic testing of cancer patients, the ministry said on Thursday.
The program, developed by the ministry, the National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) and Roche Diagnostics Taiwan, would offer testing to more than 1,000 patients at designated hospitals by the second half of this year, it said.
Samples of cancer tissue would be analyzed for mutations to help Roche and other pharmaceutical companies recommend targeted therapies to doctors at the hospitals, the ministry said.
The pilot program would enroll people with advanced-stage stomach, esophageal, gall bladder, pancreatic or bile duct cancer, as well as non-squamous non-small cell lung carcinoma, it said.
For those enrolled in the program, the genetic testing would be free, it said, adding that the paid testing costs about NT$100,000 per patient.
The program would enhance cancer patients’ chance of survival and contribute to the development of precision medicine in Taiwan, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said at the program’s launch event.
This would include tailoring disease prevention or treatment techniques based on a person’s genes, environment and lifestyle, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach based on average cancer cases, he said
The program would generate data for the use in drug development and the drug approval process, Chen said.
NHRI president Liang Kung-yee (梁賡義) said that the program marks the first time that the National Biobank Consortium of Taiwan has partnered with an international pharmaceutical company.
Genetic testing under the program would start as early as in the middle of this year, Liang said.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
RSS