Pharmaceutical Data Exclusive Right will be included in Pharmaceutical Affairs Law.　We show our sincerity, looking forward to signing FTA between Taiwan and America.

The Premier of the Executive Yuan Yu Shyi-Kun indicated yesterday that in order to negotiate with the United States to sign FTA as soon as possible, we have shown our sincerity the other day agreeing to amend Pharmaceutical Affairs Law to first officially adopt the Pharmaceutical Data Exclusive Right protection concept. We have hoped to shorten the period of time to five or six years in contrast to the seven-year period America has requested. Once we give in, it will cost the domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing 35 hundred million dollars’ loss per year.

Taiwan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association expressed that when facing the government’s action to sacrifice the survival of domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, they would take on more vigorous resisting acts when it is necessary. The Association also said that even if the Data Exclusive Right would be put into practice, they should be given the minimum three years of deadline according to the precedent of Poland. They also suggested the Bureau of National Health Insurance promoting two measures to balance the interests of national funded pharmaceutical manufacturing; one was to raise the proportion of using generic drugs and the other was to lower the health-insurance prices of patent expired drugs from foreign businesses. (2004.06)

CYJ/CHT