Minister without Portfolio Kung Ming-hsin convened government agencies on Monday to discuss drug development efforts in the fight against COVID-19. Taiwan boasts a strong foundation in medical technology tools for epidemic prevention, including drugs, vaccines and diagnostic reagents. Based on this foundation, the government is now marshalling the resources of academia, private industries and the public sector to form a "national team" to promote epidemiological technologies.
The government is increasing the budget to develop technologies such as potential vaccines or drugs against the coronavirus, Minister Kung said. As for the long term, the government also approved the Ministry of Health and Welfare's (MOHW) epidemic prevention center construction plan (2022-2027), scheduled to begin in the next year or two.
In efforts to develop a rapid screening kit, Academia Sinica on March 8 successfully generated a monoclonal antibody that can identify the protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The government is now seeking to transfer this technology to pharmaceutical companies. The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) and the National Defense Medical Center have also developed a prototype of a rapid diagnostic test kit that can potentially detect the virus in only 15 to 20 minutes. The kit was presented to pharmaceutical companies on April 8 and is expected to be mass produced for the market within three months at the earliest, MOHW said.
In terms of actual drug therapies and treatments, both the NHRI and Academia Sinica have successfully synthesized the antiviral medication remdesivir, while Taiwan's Development Center for Biotechnology has achieved the production of the potentially useful drug favipiravir, according to the MOHW. Work is also being undertaken on the preparation of the hydroxychloroquine class of medicines to ensure a sufficient supply for treating the people of Taiwan should it become necessary.
Looking ahead to the possible future reemergence of the disease once the current outbreak is brought under control, Taiwan began in January to assess potential solutions. Academia Sinica has already identified four candidate vaccines and looks forward to beginning animal testing in April. Among the therapies to be investigated are a peptide vaccine and DNA vaccine developed by the NHRI that successfully induced immune system responses and the production of antibodies in mice. Preliminary results are expected as soon as the end of April, leading to hopes that human trials may begin as early as the end of this year.
Thanks to Taiwan's effective management of the outbreak, many nations and international organizations have actively sought out cooperation on related topics, such as the six-point joint statement signed on March 18 between Taiwan and the U.S. to further strengthen bilateral consultation and cooperation on combating the COVID-19 virus. A steady series of proposals have also come from the European Union, Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany, seeking to work with Taiwan on the research and development of rapid diagnostic kits and life-saving vaccines. These collaborations allow international partners to gain access to Taiwan's well-established research and production capabilities to speed the battle against the virus at home. As it continues to strengthen its pandemic-fighting capabilities, Taiwan is ready and willing to contribute its expertise and experiences to benefit global well-being overall, the MOHW said.