Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Tran HongHa underlined the need to manage the pharmaceutical industry under market rules, ensuring publicity, transparency, quality control, safety, and cheapestprices during a meeting in Hanoi on February 19 to discuss the law onamendments and supplementations to some articles of the Law on Pharmacy.

Ha asked the Ministry of Health (MoH) to collect ideas and fullyclarify regulations in the bill, especially those related to the implementationof international commitments and agreements as well as laws on investment,price management, advertising, and rights of foreign-invested enterprises.

At the same time, the simplification of administrativeprocedures in the field should ensure close, scientific management and safety,he said.

The ministry was requested to design regulations on recognising and referring standardsand quality of drugs that have been tested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) or national pharmaceuticalmanagement agencies recommended by WHO, and add some clinical pharmacologicalassessment criteria to ensure safety and suitability for Vietnamese people'sphysical condition.

Deputy PM Ha also asked the MoH to support foreign pharmaceutical firms to investin drug production and transfer technologies in Vietnam, and effectively tap domestic herbal medicine potential.

According to MoH Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen, three key pillars in themanagement of the pharmaceutical industry are circulation registration number granting,prices, and quality of drugs.

Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said that the billshortens the time for renewing drug circulation registration numbers from threemonths to 15 days, while applying automatic renewal.

At the meeting, participants gave ideas on various issuesincluded in the bill. Deputy Minister of Justice Dang Hoang Oanh proposed that thebill should specify regulations on supporting and promoting the growth of the pharmaceuticalindustry.

Deputy Minister of Public Security Sen. Lieut. Gen. NguyenDuy Ngoc suggested that it is necessary to design suitable management measuresfor toxic medicinal herbs used to make medicine, while ensuring a certain levelof openness in importing medicine in urgent situations to serve national defenceand security needs.

Pfizer Vietnam General Director Darrell Oh proposed the applicationof mechanisms to use assessment and inspection results of pharmaceuticalmanagement agencies recommended by WHO.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Thi BichNgoc said that the MoH should design regulations that are consistent with thedefinitions of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and current laws, andcompatible with other industries./.