The ultimate goal of the development programme for domestic pharmaceutical industry is to ensure the sufficient supply of medicines at reasonable costs for the people, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at a meeting held in Hanoi on September 21.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)🐎 – The ultimate goal ofthe development programme for domestic pharmaceutical industry is to ensure thesufficient supply of medicines at reasonable costs for the people, said Deputy PrimeMinister Vu Duc Dam at a meeting held in Hanoi on September 21.
Damasked the Health Ministry to hold periodic meetings and working sessions withpharmaceutical associations, businesses, ministries and agencies concerned todeal with specific issues, firstly helping amend the Pharmacy Law as soon aspossible. TheMinistry of Health must completely handle the extension of drug registrationwhile amending Circular No.30/2018/TT-BYTpromulgating the list and payment requirements for pharmaceuticalchemicals, biological products, radioactive drugs and those reserved for healthinsurance participants, which should be updated annually or in necessary cases. Inaddition, the Vietnam Social Security must soon submit solutions aimed at dealing withthe late payment for drugs and supplies covered by health insurance.
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA)
Director of the Drug Administration of Vietnam Vu Tuan Cuong saidthe pharmaceutical industry is on track to strong growth with a value of 3.4billion USD in 2015 to 6.92 billion USD in 2021. Domestically-made drugsaccount for 46% of the total. Vietnamis now home to 228 medicine production facilities meeting GMP-WHO standards, 14.3%of them fully automatic while 68% have automatic equipment that mainlyproduce generic medicines. Policiesand regulations have created favourable conditions for pharmaceutical industry,with incentives for investment in the production of hi-tech, treatment, invention,biological medicines, biological vaccines and medicine materials. However, the establishments mostly focus on producing generic medicines because it takes much time,capital and quality workforce to churn out hi-tech, treatment and inventeddrugs. Statistics showed that invented drugs account for only 3% in volume butup to 22% in value. Additionally,price negotiations and biddings for invented drugs remain slow due to the lackof reference information and price comparison. Cuong asked the industry to focus on attractinginvestment in production technology and improving product quality, build researchcentres for vaccines and biological products, develop domestic materials, andimprove the capacity of pharmaceutical research and testing./.
The Health Ministry’s Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) has requested relevant units to ensure no medicine shortage and price hikes to meet demand for COVID-19 prevention and control during the upcoming Lunar New Year (Tet) festival 2022.
A delegation of Ho Chi Minh City's Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs on June 4 provided free health check-ups and medicines for impoverished overseas Vietnamese and Lao people in Vientiane.
More fraudsters are using online platforms, social networks and messaging services to sell and distribute fake medicines, according to Le Van Truyen, Chairman of the Advisory Council for the Registration of Circulation of Drugs and Medical Ingredients.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has demanded Acting Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan to consult with experts on solutions to handle the current shortages of medicines and medical supplies, thus giving appropriate and timely directions for this issue at medical examination and treatment facilities.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
Vietnam pledges to do its utmost to build an ASEAN of solidarity, consensus, and unity in diversity, and to foster a fast and sustainable development path for ASEAN, grounded in science, technology, and innovation, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.
Party General Secretary To Lam called on the criminal police force to accelerate the application of science, technology, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation in criminal investigation tasks such as crime prevention, detection, tracking and verification, ensuring that no area remains out of their reach.
Many Koreans living, studying, and working in Hanoi see the upcoming state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK) by Party General Secretary To Lam as an opportunity to generate strong synergy in economic cooperation, people-to-people exchanges, and cultural understanding.
The achievements of the five decades of Vietnam–Angola cooperation provide a strong and enduring foundation, as well as momentum for the two sides to consolidate, expand, and bring their partnership into a new phase of development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stressed that the emulation and commendation work is a vital driver, fostering patriotism, dedication, and collective momentum in the run-up to the 11th National Patriotic Emulation Congress, Party congresses at all levels, and the 14th National Party Congress.
Emphasising the need for sustainable, long-term collaboration, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man called on Japanese investors not only to bring in capital but also to share expertise and modern technology, especially in areas such as green transformation, the circular economy, and advanced corporate governance.
President Luong Cuong's activities during his state visit to Angola, the celebration of the financial sector's 80th traditional day, and the Foreign Ministry's flag-hoisting ceremony marking the 58th founding anniversary of ASEAN are among news highlights on August 8.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Thailand Pham Viet Hung praised the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ meaningful initiative, noting that the ASEAN Family Run was not only a sporting activity but also an opportunity for diplomats and their families to show unity, connection, and solidarity within the ASEAN family.
Politburo member, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 8 attended the first congress of the Party Organisation of Tay Ho ward of Hanoi for the 2025–2030 term, during which he called for fresh momentum to turn the ward into a model that takes the lead in all fields.
The size of the economy increased from over 5 billion USD in 1986 to over 476 billion USD by 2024, making Vietnam the fourth-largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 34th largest in the world.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the event (Photo: VNA) 
Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) 
