Taiwan Gearing Up Biomedical Epidemic Prevention Technology to combat COVID-19

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Apr.14, 2020

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taiwan government has announced that it will invest 5.46 billion NT dollars (US $181.7 million) for the research and development of biomedical epidemic prevention technologies, hoping to contribute more to the testing, prevention and treatment of the COVID-19.

Taiwan has accumulated significant know-how in epidemic prevention from past experiences, and has been among the most effective countries in curbing domestic spread so far. Taiwan has also continued to integrate domestic production, government and academic resources to form a national level alliance for vaccines, drugs and testing tools.

The government has announced a special budget of 2.16 billion dollars (US $71.8 million) for the Relief and Emergency funds, and 3.3 billion dollars (US $109 million) for the annual budget on Biomedical and Epidemic Prevention Technology Projects. A 4 billion dollar (US $133 million) 2022-2027 budget has also been approved for the Epidemic Prevention Center Construction project.

Currently, a total of 2.16 billion dollars (US $71.8 million) have been invested to improve Taiwan’s testing and treatment of COVID-19, and collaborations with European countries and the US have already taken place. Meanwhile, Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has developed a rapid diagnostic test capable of getting results in an hour with a 90-percent accuracy rate. The test is scheduled for production in July.

So far, the drugs on the market that are said to show promise for treating COVID-19 include Remdesivir, favipiravir (Avigan), and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). Taiwan has successfully synthesized Remdesivir and favipiravir, and domestic manufacturers are capable to produce the drugs. Hydroxychloroquine can be mass-produced in Taiwan, and more than 20 countries have placed orders for the drug. Taiwan will also begin clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines in May, and discussions of international collaborations are already underway with many countries.

Going forward, Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology is planning to set up 3 to 5 epidemic prevention scientific research centers for biomedicine focusing on cloud computing, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence. The national-level AI cloud supercomputer has also begun to receive proposals from private sectors to develop anti-epidemic big data computing services.

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***As of today, April 14, the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in more than 1,866,000 confirmed cases worldwide. As of writing, a total of 393 confirmed cases were reported in Taiwan, with 338 imported cases, 6 deceased cases, 124 cases released from isolation, and the remainder hospitalized in stable condition. See the latest update: https://www.cdc.gov.tw/En