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
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