VietNamNet Bridge - Scientists are optimistic about Vietnam’s capability of exporting vaccines directly to other countries or through United Nations’ organisations following official international recognition of Vietnam-made vaccines.

Vietnam’s regulatory system for vaccines was officially certified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as complying with international standards.

“Vietnam now has a fully equipped national regulatory system that ensures the safety and effectiveness of vaccines they produce and use,” Dr. Shin Young-soo, regional director of the WHO’s Western Pacific Region, said at the NRA (National Regulatory Authority) certificate presentation ceremony last week.

According to Nguyen Minh Hang, deputy head of the Ministry of Health’s Preventive Medicine Agency, Vietnam is one of a few regional countries which produce vaccines for its domestic use.

She also noted that Vietnam has great opportunities to make vaccines not only for domestic use, but for export as well.

“We should think of exporting vaccines directly to other countries or through the United Nations’ organizations which provide aid to developing countries,” Hang said.

However, Hang said the NRA recognition would only be valid for a certain period and the NRA would be re-assessed once every two years. 

Maintaining and developing the NRA in a sustainable way is a great challenge for Vietnam.

In late March 2015, the head of the Preventive Medicine Agency, Tran Dac Phu, in an interview given to Dat Viet newspaper, mentioned projects on new kinds of vaccines, including 5-in-1 and 6-in-1, with acellular pertussis, a vaccine in great demand worldwide.

Phu has reaffirmed the government’s and Ministry of Health’s strong determination to produce good vaccines with advanced technologies for domestic use and export.

However, Phu warned that Vietnam needs to have money, good facilities and staff to implement the plan.

“It is undeniable that Vietnam can make many kinds of important vaccines. But in order to implement the plan, Vietnam will need much more money,” Phu said. 

“It is not a simple work to produce vaccines. We will need to spend money to buy advanced technologies which can meet world standards,” he said. 

Which technologies to buy, how to cooperate to organize production in the most effective way – all these questions need to be put into discussion.

“I can say for sure that investment capital will be not small,” Phu said.

However, he said, this was a must. All the vaccines Vietnam produces must be safe and effective, not only in the country but also in the world.

The JEVAX vaccine for Japanese encephalitis is the first exported Vietnamese-made vaccine.

Dat Viet