Presided over by President William Lai, the fifth meeting of the Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee was held on September 4. At a news conference following the meeting, Minister of Health and Welfare (MOHW) Shih Chung-liang said that, as the U.S. has not finalized its pharmaceutical tariffs, Taiwan’s drug exports to the U.S. are not subject to tariffs. However, he noted that if the U.S. moves forward with pharmaceutical tariffs, the MOHW has strategies ready in response.

Firstly, imported drugs still under patent protection are considered the most at risk and vulnerable to disruptions. A recent review identified more than 700 such drugs, with approximately 200 classified as essential medicines, accounting for an estimated NT$20 billion in annual spending under National Health Insurance reimbursement. Minister Shih noted that, therefore, a NT$20 billion special fund approved by the Executive Yuan has been set aside to mitigate the impact of potentially higher global drug prices following the implementation of U.S. pharmaceutical tariffs.

Secondly, following amendments to the regulations on price adjustment for National Health Insurance–reimbursed drugs in April this year, domestically produced biosimilars of innovator drugs within five years of patent expiration will be reimbursed at the same rates as the original drugs, with the aim of encouraging manufacturers to diversify supply chain risks.

Thirdly, as with last year, biosimilars will continue to receive production incentives and guaranteed pricing throughout this year.

[2025-9-4/Economic Daily News]