On December 21, 2010, representatives from Taiwan and China met to sign a new agreement that supports the bio-technology industries of both territories. Two important outcomes of this agreement include upcoming cooperation on clinical trial standards and vaccine development.
With clinical trial standards developed in agreement between Taiwan and China, the two areas hope to accelerate the process of obtaining market clearance for certain pharmaceuticals. At the moment, drugs that have undergone product registration with clinical trials in Taiwan or China usually have to be submitted for clinical trials in the other territory. However, the forthcoming clinical trial standards would no longer require the repeat of clinical trials. In the future, for instance, drugs that have clinical trial data from Taiwan will not need to repeat trials in China to sell in the new market and vice versa.
The director of Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), Kang Jaw-Jou, has stated that Taiwanese officials might review clinical trial and other facilities in China to certify that there is satisfactory compliance with Taiwan’s guidelines on quality.
In addition to the collaboration on clinical trial standards, both sides have also agreed to work together on creating and improving vaccines to further enhance public health.