【Expert Conference】Post-Pandemic New Threats: Solutions for Antibiotic Shortages

Vice Director Lee Chung-Hsi, invited by the United Daily News Health Department, participated as a comprehensive discussant in the “Post-Epidemic New Threats: Solutions for Antibiotic Shortages Expert Conference.”

Lee Chung-Hsi, Vice Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Taipei Medical University, pointed out that during the pandemic, the government outlined six core industries that need to be self-sufficient. At that time, the inadequacy of epidemic prevention materials and the absence of a COVID-19 vaccine led to discussions about Taiwan’s self-sufficiency in medical supplies.

Lee Chung-Hsi believes that the number of applications for new drugs in the country has significantly decreased in recent years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should address this issue and find ways to encourage domestic pharmaceutical companies to invest in the production of new drugs. For instance, extending the administrative protection period for NCE-2, categorizing it as “priority review,” and actively promoting medical self-sufficiency. The National Health Insurance Administration could include the NCE-2 of domestically produced new drugs in the parallel review mechanism, effectively shortening the drug review period and encouraging industry players interested in producing new drugs.

The original article is featured on the CommonHealth website, titled “Antibiotic Shortages Could Become a National Security Crisis: Supporting the Industry to Implement the Localization of Pharmaceutical Production in Taiwan.”