Taiwan’s biotechnology sector was built around domestic health needs, including vaccines and drug manufacturing, but it is increasingly looking outward – to international partnerships, licensing, clinical development and a bigger role in the global biomedical ecosystem.

Global drug approvals through the first half (H1) of 2026 reached 261, the third-highest H1 total in BioWorld’s records behind 2021’s 288 and 2025's 271, and ahead of 2022’s 256. June was the standout month of the first six months at 64 approvals, the highest single month in BioWorld’s records and a notable acceleration from May’s 43.

Total med-tech financing through the first half (H1) of 2026 reached $12.66 billion, down from 2025’s $17.56 billion but in line with 2024’s $13.94 billion over the same period.

Biopharma financing activity through the first two quarters of 2026 totaled $60.14 billion, the strongest first-half (H1) showing since 2024’s $70.32 billion and well above 2025’s $29.53 billion over the same period. The second quarter (Q2) of 2026 was particularly strong at $34.69 billion, the highest single quarter since Q1 2024’s $47.25 billion. Q1 came in at $25.45 billion, more than double 2025’s Q1 figure of $13.12 billion.

U.K. biotech has recorded the strongest quarter for venture capital raised in five years, with companies attracting £2.05 billion (US$3.36 billion) in the second quarter (Q2) of 2026. While that figure is dominated by the £1.56 billion series B round raised by Google Deepmind’s AI drug discovery spin-off Isomorphic Labs Ltd, the remaining £498 million is a significant increase to the £279 million raised in Q2 of 2025.

The field of cell and gene therapy is moving toward a new phase of scalability and clinical durability, with in vivo chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapeutics emerging as the dark horse in what speakers at BIO Asia-Taiwan 2026 described as CAR T’s second revolution.