Kaohsiung Native's Development of Oral COVID-19 Medication, AMS BioteQ Progressing by Year-End

In the research and development of oral medication for Wuhan pneumonia (novel coronavirus disease, COVID-19), the Taiwanese biotechnology industry is actively involved. AMS BioteQ, founded by Kaohsiung native Dr. Yi-Ju Tsai, has been working on the new antibiotic YUAN-03. In in vitro antiviral tests against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, it has achieved a 100% inhibition rate. The company will continue to test its effectiveness against the Alpha and Delta variants. It is expected to make substantial progress in the development of a new COVID-19 drug by the end of this year.

Democratic Progressive Party legislator Chih-Chieh Hsu, along with several Kaohsiung city council members, visited the laboratory of AMS BioteQ in the Southern Science Park today (27th) to gain insights into the company’s progress and achievements in the development of new antibiotics.

Dr. Yi-Ju Tsai pointed out that the development of YUAN-03, a novel antibiotic derived from locally sourced edible medicinal fungi, represents Taiwan’s first domestically developed antibiotic. In April of this year, YUAN-03 demonstrated close to a 100% virus inhibition rate in tests conducted at the National Health Research Institutes against the human coronavirus hCoV-OC43. In July, it also achieved nearly 100% virus inhibition in in vitro antiviral tests conducted by the research team at National Taiwan University against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus responsible for COVID-19.

He emphasized that YUAN-03 will continue to undergo testing for the efficacy of inhibiting the Alpha and Delta variants of the virus. If the tests are successful, animal trials will be conducted, and there are plans to form collaborations with renowned foreign pharmaceutical companies. The goal is to make concrete progress in the development of new drugs for COVID-19 by the end of this year. This would enable Taiwan and the global community to actively combat the invasion of new variants of the virus and eliminate the threat posed by the pandemic through more effective treatments.

Mr. Chih-Chieh Hsu stated that Taiwan has achieved a COVID-19 vaccination coverage rate exceeding 40%. With the rollout of domestically produced Medigen vaccine subsidized by the government, Taiwan’s focus should shift to the development of oral medications for COVID-19 in sync with countries like Europe and the United States. He recommended that the central government accelerate and guide domestic biotech companies and pharmaceutical manufacturers in researching and developing new COVID-19 drugs. Taking a cue from the U.S. government, funding could be allocated to promote the development and mass production of domestically produced COVID-19 oral medications. This would provide additional protection against COVID-19 for the Taiwanese population, complementing the vaccination efforts and making Taiwan’s pandemic response more comprehensive.