3/9 Taiwan BIO Weekly
2026-03-09 |
| Taiwan BIO Weekly |
| Taiwan may pause routine drug price surveys for 3 years 6 March, 2026, 2026 President Lai Ching-te has instructed officials to assess the possibility of suspending Taiwan's routine drug price surveys for three years in an effort to strengthen the stability of the country's pharmaceutical supply. Annual surveys review drug prices covered under the National Health Insurance program based on factors such as demand and clinical necessity. This can result in reductions to drug reimbursement prices, which can in turn lower payments manufacturers receive from hospitals for supplying the medicines, according to CNA and Health Media Now. More... |
| TCM Biotech eyes Taiwan main board listing in April 6 March, 2026 The Taiwan stock market will gain a new player as TCM Biotech International Corp. prepares to list on the main board in April. The company is currently traded on Taiwan's over-the-counter market, closing at NT$237.5 (US$7.5) on Friday. It plans an underwriting price of NT$132 per share for the main board listing, according to CTEE and Anue. More... |
| Lai vows to bolster Taiwan drug supply resilience with NT$24B plan 5 March, 2026 President Lai Ching-te on Thursday vowed to strengthen Taiwan's pharmaceutical resilience through a four-year plan that will allocate NT$24 billion (US$756.2 million) to measures including promoting domestic production of critical drugs. Speaking at a meeting of the Presidential Office's Healthy Taiwan Promotion Committee, Lai said Taiwan relies heavily on imported pharmaceuticals and medical devices, with "some items even subject to control by foreign hostile forces." More... |
| Meribank Biotech teams up with AHEAD Medicine and Apexcella Biomedical 25 February, 2026 Meribank Biotech (TW: 4724) has signed memorandums of understanding with Taiwan companies AHEAD Medicine and Apexcella Biomedical. The collaborations will focus respectively on optimizing allogeneic natural killer (NK) cell manufacturing processes and establishing an AI-powered immune cell testing platform, strengthening the technological foundation for the mass production and standardized processes of NK cell therapies while expanding the clinical applications of umbilical cord blood–derived immune cells. Meribank Biotech noted that its cord blood bank preserves valuable cord blood resources from depositors. NK cells contained in cord blood are less likely to trigger immune rejection or cytokine storm side effects, giving them advantages for allogeneic clinical use. They have already been applied in the treatment of various cancers and Alzheimer's disease. However, the limited number of primary NK cells available has long been a key bottleneck for advancing clinical development and achieving large-scale applications. More... (in Chinese) |
| Medigen Vaccine Biologics targets Vietnam approval for EV71 vaccine 4 March, 2026 Medigen Vaccine Biologics (TW: 6547) reported that its enterovirus 71 (EV71) vaccine has performed impressively since its launch in Taiwan two and a half years ago, with cumulative sales reaching 500,000 doses and capturing a dominant 95% market share. To overcome market constraints from Taiwan's declining birthrate, Medigen Vaccine Biologics is actively expanding into Southeast Asian markets with large newborn populations and high growth potential. Currently, the company has been pursuing Vietnamese regulatory approval for over 30 months, making obtaining the Vietnam license its top priority this year. Medigen Vaccine Biologics has also submitted a new drug application in Singapore and plans to gradually enter Thailand and Malaysia in the future. More... (in Chinese) |
| TaiGen Biotechnology's CKD anemia new drug completes first patient enrollment in Phase I clinical trial 3 March, 2026 TaiGen Biotechnology (TW: 4157) announced on March 3rd that its chronic kidney disease (CKD) anemia new drug ISM-4808 has officially entered a Phase I clinical trial, with the first participant enrolled and dosed. This milestone marks that only one quarter has passed since TaiGen Biotechnology introduced the drug program at the end of 2025, demonstrating exceptionally high efficiency in R&D execution. Since signing a collaboration agreement with Insilico Medicine last December to introduce the ISM-4808 program, TaiGen Biotechnology has swiftly prepared for the Phase I trial. More... (in Chinese) |
| Senhwa Biosciences Signs Major Strategic MOU with Y Combinator-Backed AI Biotech Company CellType to Accelerate the Evolution of CX-4945 into Version 2.0 and Reshape the Global Immunotherapy Landscape Press release 3 March, 2026 Senhwa Biosciences, Inc. (TW: 6492), a clinical stage company focusing on development of first-in-class therapeutics for oncology, rare diseases, and infectious diseases, today announced the signing of a major strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CellType, an AI-driven biotech company backed by Y Combinator (Winter 2026). Under this partnership, the two companies will integrate CellType's proprietary AI platform to accelerate the clinical development and global commercialization strategy of Senhwa's core asset, Silmitasertib (CX-4945). More... |
| PharmaEssentia completes submission in South Korea for Ropeg's new indication, aims to secure drug approvals in five countries by 2026 2 March, 2026 PharmaEssentia (TW: 6446) announced on March 3rd that it has completed the submission in South Korea for a new indication of its drug Ropeg, adding treatment for essential thrombocythemia (ET). According to the review procedures of South Korea's Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), the review process is expected to take approximately 8 to 12 months, with approval anticipated as early as the fourth quarter of this year. PharmaEssentia is advancing global regulatory applications for Ropeg's new ET indication and expects to receive additional approvals this year in Taiwan, Japan, the United States, and China. More... (in Chinese) |
| Orient Pharma licenses new drug to Cipla for US marketing 2 March, 2026 Orient Pharma (TW: 4166) announced on March 1st that it has officially signed a US commercial agency agreement with Cipla, a top-10 global generic drug manufacturer. Under the agreement, Cipla is authorized to market in the US Orient Pharma’s self-developed Tofacitinib XR (11mg / 22mg) extended-release oral generic formulation. More... (in Chinese) |
| Pharmosa Biopharm new drug L608 seeks US FDA Phase II clinical trial approval 2 March, 2026 Pharmosa Biopharm (TW: 6875) announced that it has submitted an investigational new drug (IND) application to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase II clinical trial for its inhaled drug L608 (liposomal iloprost). L608’s primary indication is the treatment of systemic sclerosis-related digital ulcers (SSc-DU). More... (in Chinese) |
| Enimmune successfully develops dengue fever two-in-one rapid test 3 March, 2026 Enimmune announced that its dengue fever two-in-one antigen-antibody rapid test has completed clinical sample testing in Taiwan, demonstrating strong sensitivity and specificity. On March 2nd the company submitted the application for a domestically produced Class II medical device license to Taiwan's FDA, aiming to obtain approval and enter the market by the end of the year, tapping into the US$100 million annual Southeast Asian testing market. The company stated that it also plans to expand into other SEA markets such as Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. More... |
| Handa Pharmaceuticals's cancer drug HND-039 debuts at ASCO, targets regulatory approval by July 2 March, 2026 Handa Pharmaceuticals (TW: 6620) announced that clinical data and analyses for its cancer drug HND-039 have been accepted by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Genitourinary Cancers Symposium. The results were formally presented at the Poster Session during the symposium in San Francisco on February 28th, marking the first time Handa Pharmaceuticals' cancer drug has been showcased at an internationally recognized ASCO meeting. If regulatory review proceeds smoothly, approval is expected by July 2026. More... (in Chinese) |
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