Urgent issues need to be resolved immediately to ensure adequate drug supply; minimize administrative procedures, create conditions for the domestic pharmaceutical industry to develop...
The Law on Pharmacy reveals many shortcomings, pharmaceutical businesses complain of difficulties
Sharing with reporters about the current shortcomings of the Pharmacy Law, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Lam - Deputy Director of the Department of Drug Administration, Ministry of Health - admitted: After more than 7 years of implementing the Law, in response to urgent requirements and demands from practice, the pharmaceutical legal system has revealed a number of limitations and shortcomings, causing difficulties for management and businesses. Some regulations related to drug and pharmaceutical ingredient registration are not consistent with the administrative reform policy; Some regulations on drug quality management are not consistent with the decentralization policy.
Some policies on pharmaceutical industry development have not created a breakthrough for the Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry in the new situation; Some regulations on drug price management are not suitable for practice as well as newly issued price laws.
Some regulations on pharmaceutical business and business types need to be adjusted to meet the development and integration trend; regulations related to drug information and advertising create a burden for businesses and are not consistent with the administrative reform policy; regulations on drug registration, production, export, import and supply are not suitable or have not been regulated to be implemented in emergency cases to meet the needs of disease prevention and control, security and national defense.
Talking about the difficulties from the business side, Ms. Han Thi Khanh Vinh - General Director of Vietnam Pharmaceutical Corporation - said: "About 90% of the current demand for the production of modern medicine must be imported. One of the reasons is that the policies in the 2016 Pharmacy Law and legal documents on investment incentives have not really promoted the development of pharmaceutical ingredients, difficulties in attracting partners, large corporations in the world to transfer high-tech pharmaceutical technology, specialized drugs, biotechnology drugs. Difficulties in implementing regulations on drug registration, taking a lot of time to prepare documents as well as waiting for approval from the management agency".
According to the leader of the Drug Administration Department, the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Pharmacy was built on the basis of 5 policies submitted to the National Assembly in the proposal to develop the Law Project.
First of all, it is necessary to further strengthen the timely and adequate supply of quality medicines for people's disease prevention and treatment needs.
The second is to ensure adequate and timely supply of drugs to meet security and defense requirements, overcome the consequences of natural disasters, and prevent and control epidemics in the new situation.
Third is to improve the efficiency of management of export and import of drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients in accordance with the socio-economic development situation and international practices.
Fourthly, promote the development of the pharmaceutical industry, prioritize research, technology transfer and production of innovative drugs, high-tech drugs, biological drugs/raw materials, standardized medicinal herbs, and raw materials from available medicinal herbs in the country.
The fifth is to organize and rearrange the business and distribution system of drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients to meet the socio-economic development situation and international integration.
Strictly manage online drug sales
Online shopping has become a trend and a choice for many people, including medicines. Buying medicine online is now as easy as buying vegetables at the market, regardless of whether it is a treatment drug, a supplement, an antibiotic or a prescription drug...
According to experts, doing business through e-commerce is a new business method, an inevitable trend in the digital age. The issue of managing online drug sales is an important content in organizing and rearranging the business system, distributing drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients.
The leaders of the Drug Administration Department believe that it is necessary to supplement and build a legal corridor for the above business method in the pharmaceutical field to avoid legal gaps on this issue. It is expected that the revised Law on Pharmacy will add a provision requiring an establishment wishing to conduct e-commerce to be specifically assessed for its facilities, personnel, documents and must be granted a Certificate of Eligibility for Pharmaceutical Business.
After the implementation process, the presiding agency will evaluate and review to consider adjusting these policies if necessary.
