The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) outlined the direction of its NT$24 billion National Pharmaceutical Resilience Initiative at BIO Asia–Taiwan. Lin Yi-Chu（林意筑）, Director of the Division of Medicinal Products, said that the COVID-19 pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and the restructuring of global supply chains have made pharmaceutical supply security a strategic priority worldwide. In response, the government plans to strengthen Taiwan’s pharmaceutical resilience by expanding domestic manufacturing capacity, establishing a national drug reserve, and developing a smart pharmaceutical logistics system.

Lin noted that only 17.2% of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used in Taiwan are produced domestically, with the country relying heavily on imports from China and India. In addition, 53.6% of medicines on Taiwan’s list of critical drugs are imported, highlighting the vulnerability of the current supply chain. She explained that pharmaceutical supply has traditionally emphasized efficiency, but the pandemic exposed the limited resilience of this model. Going forward, supply resilience must be considered alongside efficiency. She cited examples from other countries, including the United States’ government-supported pharmaceutical supply chain and stockpiling system, the European Union’s legislation on critical medicines, and Japan’s efforts to ensure stable production of essential drugs.

Lin further pointed out that although Taiwan has strong generic drug manufacturing capabilities, the utilization of generic medicines declines as the level of medical institution increases. Generic drug usage is approximately 85% in community clinics and pharmacies, but falls to 52% in teaching hospitals, suggesting that acceptance among healthcare professionals and patients could be further improved.

With the goal of ensuring that "the right medicines reach the right patients at the right time and in the right quantities," the TFDA plans to establish a national-level Pharmaceutical Intelligent Logistics and Storage Center (PILLS). The center will integrate information on pharmaceutical production, inventories, and distribution while leveraging medication-use data from healthcare institutions to build an early warning system for potential shortages and proactively develop reserve inventories. In addition, the TFDA will establish a pharmaceutical resilience fund to provide financial incentives for domestic API production, further strengthen early warning mechanisms, expand international collaboration, and reduce dependence on single-source suppliers, thereby enhancing Taiwan’s ability to respond to future drug shortages.

【2026-07-15/ UDN】