Taiwan could emerge as clinical trials hub according to new study

Taiwan could become a regional clinical trials hub according to international think tank, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP).

The CEIP made the suggestion last week arguing that growing geopolitical tensions focused on Taiwan and the COVID-19 pandemic are forcing industry to reconfigure supply chains, creating opportunities for growth.

“One consequence of growing US-China tensions will be the realignment of at least some global supply chains. Indeed, both the US and Chinese governments—and the Japanese as well as various European governments, for that matter—are leveraging administrative and regulatory tools to limit, and in some case attenuate, commercial flows.”

The Carnegie authors cite use of robust export controls, expansive investment screening mechanisms, sanctions, and the introduction of national security legislation as examples of the tools being used.

Clinical trials

They also predict an increase in “techno-nationalism,” whereby countries build infrastructure for key technologies and reduce external dependence, citing US efforts to boost local drug development and manufacturing infrastructure as an example.

And this is where the authors see opportunity for Taiwan’s clinical trial sector, arguing that, with some investment, the country’s data and information technology sector could attract drug developers.

“One application could be the use of AI to dramatically raise the success rate of clinical trials, both by more effectively selecting participants and by improving the design of the trials themselves.

“To attract clinical trials, Taiwan could strive to leverage these data advantages by positioning itself as a trusted manager of sensitive, high-quality healthcare data as therapies currently in the pipeline are brought to market.”

Taiwan is also well positioned to attract trials from developers targeting the Chinese pharmaceutical market according to the authors.

“Since 2016, for example, select hospitals in Beijing and Shanghai have been able to provide clinical data for drug approvals by Taiwan’s regulator, and several Taiwan hospitals have been able to do the same with the regulator in Beijing.”

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