Drug resilience program to strengthen Taiwan's self-sufficiency and supply chains

At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Cho Jung-tai received a report from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on a program to strengthen Taiwan's drug resilience and advance biomedical development for a "Healthy Taiwan." The premier said that the globalized nature of pharmaceutical supply chains, coupled with overreliance on a few active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) suppliers, poses a significant risk of disruptions due to pandemics, natural disasters or geopolitical factors. In response, the MOHW formulated the program to bolster the nation's self-sufficiency and supply chain resilience for critical drugs.

Premier Cho noted that the program, which comprises five key objectives and six major action plans, will focus on domestic API production, generic drug promotion, independent biologics development, reinforcement of critical medical devices, smart monitoring implementation, regulatory improvements and international cooperation. In addition, NT$24 billion (US$765.8 million) will be allocated under the program to foster the growth of a trillion-dollar biomedical industry and fortify the nation's health care defenses.

The premier further highlighted that drug resilience is crucial to Taiwan's whole-of-society defense, expressing hope that the program will facilitate flexible medicine allocation, expand domestic alternatives, and increase overall supply chain resilience and adaptability. In turn, this will help safeguard public health and strengthen the biomedical industry's competitiveness.