Workers pack medicines at the Sao Kim Pharmaceutical Company in Mê Linh District, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Trọng Đạt

HÀ NỘI (VNS) — Health experts and policy makers discussed ways to improve the outcomes of patient care and the quality of pharma products at a symposium yesterday in Hà Nội.

The event was the first international symposium on quality and innovative pharmaceuticals organised by the Pharma Group and the British Embassy in Hà Nội and the European Union-Việt Nam Business Network.

“The multi-stakeholder symposium was a good opportunity for us to listen and exchange information with the pharmaceutical industry on improving the quality and innovations of pharmaceutical products,” Deputy Health Minister Phạm Lê Tuấn said.

Drug Administration of Việt Nam (DAVN) Deputy Director Nguyễn Tất Đạt said the 2005 Pharmaceutical Law had achieved its objectives on improving patients’ access to high-quality, safe and affordable drugs in the last 10 years of its implementation.

However, Đạt said, “Challenges and shortcomings still remain in the law’s enforcement due to outdated provisions that are no longer suitable, given the rapid development of the industry.”

“The health ministry is in the final stages of drafting amendments to the revised Pharmaceutical Law for the National Assembly’s approval. The amendments will facilitate the pharmaceutical industry’s rapid growth in the context of Việt Nam’s deeper integration into the global economy,” Đạt said.

The symposium’s delegates focused their discussion on the role of improved drug quality in patient care and on enhanced innovations in Việt Nam’s pharmaceutical industry.

They discussed pharmaceutical quality and safety in Việt Nam and proposed specific recommendations to improve quality and to advance policies that enhance innovation.

They also shared experiences and lessons learned in managing drug quality, addressing counterfeit products and encouraging pharmaceutical innovations.

The DAVN said the country’s total medicine consumption value reached US$3.4 billion as of the end of 2015, of which domestic medicines comprised 50 per cent. The country currently has 153 drug production facilities, 2,000 wholesale companies and 40,000 drug retailers. The Vietnamese people spend an average $38 per person on medicines annually. — VNS