The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a four-year, NT$24 billion (US$765.8 million) project to enable domestic production of more than 50 key drugs and enhance the resilience of the domestic drug supply chain.
Globalization has narrowed the production of drugs, as demonstrated by drug shortages resulting from shipping delays and other factors during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the national security implications of pharmaceutical production capabilities, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said during the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
The project, beginning next year, is a comprehensive plan that combines investment and policies to strengthen Taiwanese
Photo: Chen Chien-chih, Taipei Times
pharmaceutical production, storage and logistics, the ministry said.
The program seeks to enhance Taiwan’s organic capability to produce active pharmaceutical components, and to increase production and export of generic drugs, locally produce biomedicine and radiopharmaceuticals, control critical medical ingredients, adopt artificial intelligence in monitoring, draft relevant laws before introducing policies and step up international cooperation, it said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said that Taiwan currently has 30 companies that produce active pharmaceutical ingredients and 144 pharmaceutical manufacturers.
Only 16 percent of domestically produced active pharmaceutical ingredients are used locally, while 64 percent of necessary drugs are imported, Shih said, adding that this is a weakness in Taiwan’s pharmaceutical supply chain.
The project aims to increase the resilience of domestic pharmaceutical supply chains, enabling them to respond quickly in times of need, as well as generate NT$1 trillion in economic benefits, the ministry added.
The project would be overseen by a joint task force, with the ministry providing a list of key pharmaceuticals to be manufactured, providing legal and scientific consultation, formulating policies to encourage the use of generic drugs, overseeing international collaboration and amending regulations when necessary.
The Ministry of Environment would oversee environmental assessment and waste disposal, and the Ministry of Finance would assist with tax reduction policies to support research and development and investment.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs would provide subsidies for industry upgrades and assistance, and would lead delegations to encourage foreign investment.
Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) quoted Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as saying that the NT$24 billion funding is an important part of attracting peripheral financial benefits.
Shih said the health ministry is working with the Ministry of Economic Affairs to include domestic pharmaceutical production as a means to apply for tax deductions, and that a Pharmaceutical Drug Resilience Fund has been established to cover any funding shortfalls.
Shih said pharmaceutical storage would prioritize drugs and medical equipment for treating field injuries common to a wartime situation, adding that medicine for dealing with other high-risk incidents would be added to storage based on supply stability.
Additional reporting by Chung Li-hua
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS