TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The military has expanded its stockpiling of medicine as a precaution against war, while the Czech Republic has asked Taiwan for antibiotics, reports said Tuesday (March 14).

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine increased fears of a conflict with China, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) extended the period of storing drugs from two months to more than six months, while demanding the product expiry date should be at least eight months away, the Liberty Times reported.

As the military demanded some drugs should be available for at least a year, the issued threatened to cause shortages of certain types of medicine, according to Su Tung-mao (蘇東茂), the chairman of the Taiwan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (TPMA). While the MND and the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) worked out a joint plan to address the situation, hospitals also began buying up product, causing concern about shortages.

Similar problems are also plaguing other countries, with Taiwan’s office in the Czech Republic receiving a request to supply antibiotics, he said. However, it was not clear whether it was the government or private entities looking for drugs, and what kind of volume was involved.

The situation did show how international the problem was but also proved that Taiwan’s pharmaceutical sector was being held in high regard overseas, according to Su.

The TPMA chairman advised hospitals to increase their purchase of drugs by 10% compared to the same month last year, but warned against publicizing the issue, because that would only fuel panic buying and make the situation worse.