The island’s manufacturing and technological strengths and trove of medical data make it well positioned to assume a significant role in biotech development and healthcare supply chains, but to do so, it must first surmount some longstanding obstacles. In the last year, the world has become painfully aware of the importance of supply chains in…
More than two million doses of Medigen’s MVC-COV1901 have been administered domestically, but it has yet to gain traction internationally. Meanwhile UBI Pharma’s UB-612 is pending emergency-use authorization in Taiwan. Early in the coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan made a fateful decision: It would develop its own COVID-19 vaccines and make them a key part of its…
Since the pandemic began, Taiwan has developed several herbal formulas that traditional Chinese medicine doctors say are effective in treating COVID-19. The most prominent of these is Taiwan Chingguan Yihau (NRICM101), marketed under the name Respire Aid and developed by Taiwan’s National Research Institute of Chinese Medicine (NRICM). The treatment is made up of ten…
Given an exponential rise in locally transmitted COVID-19 case numbers (the vast majority of which have been mild or asymptomatic), Taiwan’s leaders have quickly begun working to develop a policy of “coexisting with the virus.” As during the initial outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, some fumbles have occurred as that policy coalesces, but once…
By Courtney Donovan Smith Taishang Factories Disrupted by COVID-19 Taiwanese manufacturers in China, particularly those based in Shanghai and neighboring Kunshan, have suffered plant closures and supply chain issues due to China’s “dynamic zero-COVID” policies and the extended lockdown of the Shanghai region, widespread disruptions to trucking within China, and delays at the port of…
By Courtney Donovan Smith April Marks End to Zero-COVID Policy Locally transmitted cases in Taiwan have been rising exponentially since early April, as the Omicron variant began spreading across the island. Recognizing the variant’s infectiousness, the economic costs of the zero-COVID approach, and that almost all reported cases have been mild or asymptomatic, the government…
Demand for both conventional and electric bicycles has soared during the pandemic, drastically increasing the export orders of Taiwan’s bike manufacturers. However, severe shortages of raw materials and other disruptions to the supply chain have prevented these companies from fully benefiting from the current global cycling renaissance. Josh Chang had just started a new job…
By Dexter Murray and Aimee Wu Taiwan to Ease Border Restrictions As the latest domestic outbreaks of the COVID-19 Omicron variant are largely under control and vaccination rates are high, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) has announced plans to gradually reopen Taiwan’s borders. From March 7, the quarantine period for international travelers entering Taiwan…
Taiwan’s e-commerce market experienced rapid growth in 2021, driven primarily by the severe outbreak of local infections that summer. Yet as life has more or less returned to normal, the appeal of physical retail regained strength. As a result, companies are now launching business models that merge online and offline channels. As Taiwan flirted with…
The island’s effective management of the pandemic has helped boost its attractiveness as a destination for international healthcare companies to conduct clinical trials of new drugs. But to remain competitive post-COVID, Taiwan may need to take some additional steps. Within the global healthcare industry, one of the areas in which the COVID-19 pandemic has had…
