HCMC – The Drug Administration of Vietnam, under the Ministry of Health, has given the circulation registration numbers for roughly 200 pharmaceutical products in response to the rising demand nationwide.
Authorized drugs will be used for mild illnesses and specialized treatments, such as digestive, diabetic, cardiovascular, skeletal and respiratory disorders.
Around one-third of the medicines are manufactured domestically, with six approved for a three-year circulation. The circulation period of the rest is five years.
As for imported drugs, nearly 100 items were granted a circulation period of five years.
Vietnam has recently faced a severe lack of drugs and medical equipment, particularly in major public hospitals in Hanoi and HCMC.
The shortfall is partly due to the expiry of certain medicines’ registration numbers and a personnel shortage in management agencies, in addition to obstacles in the dossier process for specialized equipment purchases, the media reported.
In 2021, the country’s pharmaceutical business was valued at US$6.92 billion, with locally produced medicines making up 46% of the total.
Vietnam currently has 228 medicine manufacturing facilities meeting GMP-WHO standards, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
