Taiwan's IRPMA plays down threat to quit NHI

Taiwan's International Research-Based Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (IRPMA) has downplayed the threat that some of its members might withdraw from the government's National Health Insurance program, which regulates reimbursement prices for drugs.

The IRPMA issued a statement in response to local media reports that "thousands" of drugs were to be "withdrawn from the NHI market," stressing that none of the affected brands were manufactured by its members. However, the trade association noted that bureaucratic obstacles for drugs entering the market and the use of price controls which force the price of branded drugs down, are problems that it hopes to address with the government.

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