During the opening ceremony of the BIO Asia-Taiwan Exhibition yesterday in Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) expressed the hope that advancements in Taiwan’s biotechnology industry would usher in major business opportunities from abroad, allowing the sector to reach NT$1 trillion (US$339.50 billion) in annual production.
Despite COVID-19, the annual biotech trade show attracted pharmaceutical and medical device companies from more than 500 nations, including the US, the UK, Australia, Switzerland and Malaysia.
The five-day exhibition is the first in-person international biotechnology trade show in Asia since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Tsai said that biotechnology is a crucial part of the “five plus two” innovative industries plan that she introduced during her first term, adding that she hopes the exhibition would be a platform for the nation to demonstrate innovativeness and accelerate the development of its biotech sector.
The nation would deregulate relevant laws to expedite the growth of the sector, she said.
The “five plus two” innovative industries plan refers to an initiative to develop an Asian equivalent of the US’ Silicon Valley, including biotech, green energy, industry 4.0, robotics, defense and aviation, as well as innovative agriculture and a circular economy.
Taiwan’s biomedical industry grew by 8.7 percent in annual revenue last year, a record high over the past few years, with the amount of capital invested reaching NT$55.1 billion, Tsai said, adding that digital medicine and precision medicine, two sectors that have shown great potential in recent years, are expected to grow significantly.
Cell therapy, regenerative medicine and genetic testing combined with big data analysis are also areas that have progressed a lot, while innovative medical devices, including nanomedical technology, are expected to receive more attention, she said.
New medicine development has also had breakthroughs, Tsai said, citing a licensing agreement signed in April by Taiwan’s Oneness Biotech Co Ltd and the Denmark-based Leo Pharma, a global leader in medical dermatology.
The agreement was signed to facilitate the development and introduction to the market of FB825, a drug candidate for novel atopic dermatitis and asthma, with an upfront payment to Oneness totaling US$530 million, the highest a Taiwanese company has ever received in such a deal.
Meanwhile, the National Biotechnology Research Park in collaboration with several multi-national pharmaceutical companies, accelerators and venture capital firms yesterday opened an accelerator hub for biomedical start-ups.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the hub, former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said that the new facilities provide one-stop services to cultivate biomedical start-ups and has the potential to become the biggest accelerator hub in the field of biomedicine in the Asia-Pacific region.
The occupancy rate of biomedical companies at the park is 60 percent and the number is expected to reach 80 percent by the end of the year, Chen said, adding that growth at such a rate would be “beyond my imagination.”
Additional reporting by Chien Hui-ju
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS