Taiwan has enough of the drugs used to treat Mycoplasma pneumoniae, as it increased imports of a brand-name drug last month and expanded domestic production of generic drugs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
As some parts of China are seeing a spike in respiratory illnesses, reportedly caused by multiple pathogens, including the M. pneumoniae bacteria, many Taiwanese media outlets have reported public concerns about children catching M. pneumoniae.
M. pneumoniae is a common bacterial respiratory tract pathogen that causes infections the whole year round in Taiwan, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞) said on Tuesday evening, adding that it mainly spreads from person to person through respiratory droplets.
Photo: CNA
A 2011-2012 survey by the Taiwan Pediatric Infectious Diseases Alliance found that M. pneumoniae was the second-most common pathogen that caused community-acquired pneumonia in children, he said, adding that M. pneumoniae infections are most common in children aged five or older.
The epidemiology of M. pneumoniae has not changed much in 10 years, and most infections are mild, usually resolve on their own and rarely require hospitalization, Lo said.
While historical trends show that M. pneumoniae infections tend to peak every three to seven years, there has not been a significant rise in cases so far this year, he said.
One antibiotic used to treat M. pneumoniae infections in children is azithromycin powder for oral suspension, FDA Deputy Director Cheng Hwei-fang (陳惠芳) said yesterday.
The drug is used to treat bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, skin and soft tissue, as well as otitis media and sexually transmitted diseases, she said, adding that there are two valid drug permits in Taiwan.
An average of 4,680 bottles of azithromycin were used each month last year, but the average monthly usage increased to 8,050 bottles this year, so although 1.3 times more of the drug was imported, supply did not meet demand, she said,
The situation was reported in August, and a large amount of the drug was imported last month, Cheng said, adding that there are about 27,000 bottles in stock, and domestic production of a generic version of the drug has been increased by two to three times.
There are seven valid drug permits in Taiwan for azithromycin oral tablets for adults, and while the average usage is approximately 200,000 tablets per month, there are about 1.3 million tablets in stock — enough to last five to six months — and there are plans to import or manufacture about 2 million tablets next month, so there should be no shortage, she said.
FDA Medicinal Product Division head Yang Bo-wen (楊博文) said in preparation for a likely increase in infections due to Taiwan lifting its COVID-19 restrictions earlier this year and because many respiratory infectious diseases peak in autumn and winter, the FDA on Aug. 2 told drugmakers with permits for antibiotics, drugs for treating respiratory illnesses and gastrointestinal tract infections, antipyretics, and analgesics to ensure a stable supply of the products.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS