Paraguay has signed a deal to buy Taiwanese vaccines. According to Taiwan’s foreign ministry, Paraguay has signed a contract to buy 1 million doses of the United Biomedical COVID vaccine, once it obtains emergency use authorization in Taiwan. The vaccines will be supplied through Vaxxinity, Incorporated, which is United Biomedical’s U.S. partner.

Fists together, they pose for a group photo. It’s Taiwan’s ambassador to Paraguay Jose Han on the left, next to Paraguay’s public health minister Julio Borba and Vaxxinity Chief Strategy Officer Jon Harrison. Paraguay has signed a deal to buy 1 million doses of the United Biomedical vaccine, once it obtains emergency use authorization. With that, Paraguay will be among the first in the world to obtain the Taiwanese vaccine.

Wang Ting-yu
DPP lawmaker
We’re happy to see this development. It shows that even Paraguay trusts Taiwan’s process for emergency use authorization. There are many politicians in our country who are neither epidemic prevention experts nor medical personnel, who keep trying to prove that Taiwan’s EUA process isn’t up to scratch, isn’t good enough. I think that with a thing like this, we need to trust the experts.

United Biomedical confirmed that several countries have reached out to procure vaccines, and that Paraguay has been the first to sign a deal. It says that it will be able to export its COVID vaccine this year. United Biomedical founder Wang Chang-yi was confident when discussing the vaccine’s development timeline and production capacity.

Wang Chang-yi (June 5)
United Biomedical founder
Basically, in mid-June, we’ll be able to sort out the data. At the end of June, we will apply for EUA. Say that, on July 15, we successfully get the unanimous approval of the expert committee and obtain EUA – we’d be able to deliver several million doses the very next day. We would be able to deliver all of 5 million doses.

United Biomedical said that once it obtains EUA, it would be able to ship the 5 million doses preordered by Taiwan’s government. The firm has been mass producing its vaccine, as it’s been running its Phase II trial. By early June, it had made 280,000 doses, and production is still underway at a clip to fulfill its preorders. Later on, it plans to work with India, to launch a local Phase III trial.

Meanwhile, Medigen has a vaccine candidate that’s completed Phase II, and it’s already filed for EUA. Last week it signed an MOU with Paraguay to launch a Phase III trial. Although they’re facing controversy at home, domestic vaccines are taking big steps overseas, with an eye on obtaining international recognition.