A legislator yesterday said that the Ministry of Health and Welfare has cut pharmaceutical drug prices too much and that a supply shortage is likely to ensue.
At a meeting of the legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee in Taipei, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator and president of the Taiwan Medical Association Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) said the ministry’s National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) has cut drug prices to the point that some pharmaceutical companies cannot sustain their business.
“By continuously cutting drug prices, the first generation antibiotics that were about NT$70, are now about NT$17 to NT$18, which is cheaper than a bottle of water,” Su said.
“How are pharmaceutical companies to survive like this? If they are not willing to produce a drug, then we will face a supply shortage,” Su said.
The price of oral iron supplements has also been cut from about NT$5 to NT$1, he said, adding that he has heard some foreign pharmaceutical companies are not willing to introduce new drugs to Taiwan before going to other countries, for fear that prices would be too low.
When high-quality drugs are forced to leave the nation’s market because of low revenues, patients become the victims — having to use generic drugs instead of brand-name drugs, or even facing supply shortages, he said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Chiang Been-huang (蔣丙煌) said that drugs account for about 25 percent of the NHIA annual budget of about NT$600 billion (US$18 million), and prices of new drugs might be higher, but they are still required, therefore, the budget for some older drugs is cut to purchase new drugs.
However, the NHIA monitors the supply and demand of drugs, to ensure a supply shortage does not happen, Chiang said, adding that, to his knowledge, several foreign pharmaceutical companies are still actively trying to enter Taiwan’s market.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS