Reported by Du Hui-Rong

In order to support the biotech industry and help the industry to put its roots deep down in Taiwan, Tsai Ing-Wen, the newly elected President, has been diligently consulting local and international experts in this field about cross-strait health cooperation, international harmonization and business mergers.  Tsai hopes the experiences from the success in promoting the biotech industry can be applied to other innovative industries.

During the election campaign period, Tsai Ing-Wen met the representatives of the pharmaceutical industry and the industry associations, including TPMA, CPMDA and TGPA, to be briefed on the challenges and difficulties faced by the industry.

According to some biotech manufactures, Tsai has a better and more thorough understanding of the biotech industry than any other Presidents.

Tsai Ing-Wen expressed that the biotech industry has a very long value chain.  It requires huge investment of capital and human resources.  Tsai’s election partner, Chen Chien-Jen, said during the election campaign and promised that there will be an overall review of the NHI reimbursement policy, the supply of healthcare professionals and health regulations, after the newly elected parliament is on board in February.

So far, the biotech industry has already demonstrated promising R&D capacity.  The biotech industry is expected to be Tsai’s first model industry.  In other words, the future of the biotech industry is entwined with Tsai’s political career.  Tsai Ing-Wen takes this issue very seriously.  She has to start from where she left off, and to justify her previous decision of supporting TMB’s AIDS new drug.  She expects to apply the experiences from the success in the biotech industry to other industries.  By doing so, she can prove to the people that she has the ability to lead the country to economic prosperity.

【2016-01-18/Commercial Times】