Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, at a question-and-answer session before the National Assembly on October 30, said locally made pharmaceutical products met half the local demand last year. The rate is expected to surge to 80% by 2020, which is considered a tough and ambitious target.

Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien answers NA deputies’ questions

Tien said that the sector had earned more than US$5 billion from drug sales in the domestic market last year. The local pharmaceutical industry is currently at a level of 2.5 on an international four-level scale.

The sector can produce 11 types of vaccines so far. Of these, international experts recommended Vietnam export its measles and rubella vaccines.

Also, the country has successfully produced the seasonal influenza vaccine.

The Pharmaceutical Law was issued in 2006 and was amended in 2016, Tien said, adding that the pharmaceutical sector is under consideration for development into a key economic sector.

The Ministry of Health has coordinated with the Vietnam Fatherland Front to launch the “Use made-in-Vietnam drugs” program. In addition, business conditions and administrative procedures have been simplified to support both domestic drug producers and foreign investors.

Regarding the shortcomings of the drugs sector, Minister Tien said the country still has to import many kinds of medicines. Besides this, local enterprises’ marketing and governance remain underdeveloped compared with foreign firms.

SGT