Implementing the Prime Minister's Official Dispatch No. 65 dated May 15, 2025 on the fight against smuggling and counterfeit goods, the Ministry of Health has quickly implemented the peak month plan. Inspection activities are carried out nationwide, focusing on drug manufacturing, import and trading establishments.
On June 18, the Drug Administration of Vietnam (Ministry of Health) announced the results of a surprise inspection during the Peak Month of the fight against smuggling, trade fraud and counterfeit goods in the field of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. This peak month is part of the campaign to prevent counterfeit goods, goods that infringe intellectual property rights and protect public health.
Sudden inspection of 38 medical facilities, detecting a series of violations
The Drug Administration of Vietnam has established 5 inspection teams and conducted surprise inspections at 38 facilities nationwide, including 18 pharmaceutical facilities (9 production facilities, 9 drug import facilities) and 20 cosmetic production and trading facilities. The inspection results showed that 17 violating establishments were discovered, including many establishments operating in the pharmaceutical and cosmetic sectors.
In particular, in the pharmaceutical sector, 7 establishments have been administratively handled, including 5 drug manufacturing establishments and 2 pharmaceutical business establishments. One of the notable violations is the requirement to suspend production for a pharmaceutical facility that does not meet GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) level 4. At the same time, the Drug Administration of Vietnam has also requested the destruction of 841 pipes of Milgamma N drug due to poor sensory quality, due to improper storage conditions at the hospital.
Fight against fake drugs and cosmetics of unknown origin
Not only in the pharmaceutical field, the cosmetics industry was also focused on during the inspection. 9 establishments violating administrative regulations in the field of cosmetics have been handled, with their actions mainly related to the announcement, advertising and production of cosmetics with defective ingredients compared to product declaration forms. In particular, the Drug Administration of Vietnam has issued a decision to revoke the cosmetic manufacturing license of EBC Company (Dong Nai) and temporarily suspend the receipt of documents of VB Group Company (HCMC).
According to reports from local Departments of Health, during the peak month, a total of 865 establishments producing, importing, and trading drugs and cosmetics were inspected. 48 facilities have been discovered in violation, with a total administrative fine of up to 534 million VND.
Testing fake drugs, detecting serious violations
In addition to inspection activities at facilities, market monitoring and testing have also been strengthened. Since the beginning of 2025, the testing system has tested nearly 16,000 samples of drugs, cosmetics and medicinal herbs, of which 16 samples were found to not meet quality standards. In particular, during the peak month, the authorities discovered two establishments selling fake drugs and drugs of unknown origin in Hanoi. Duc Anh Pharmacy and An An Pharmacy were discovered selling fake drugs, including fake Nexium and fake Theophylline extended-release tablets.
Although the work of preventing counterfeit goods has achieved encouraging results, the situation of counterfeit drugs and cosmetics of unknown origin still exists, especially at retail establishments and on e-commerce platforms. To improve the effectiveness of this work, the Drug Administration has proposed a number of important solutions, including perfecting the legal framework, increasing the penalty for violations, and applying product traceability technology such as blockchain.
In addition, the Department also encourages the strengthening of periodic and surprise inspections, the establishment of interdisciplinary working groups to handle cases with signs of crime, and at the same time launching communication campaigns to raise public awareness of counterfeit goods prevention.
