The Government Office has just issued Document No. 5072/VPCP-KGVX dated June 9, 2025, conveying the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long to handle information reflecting on fake drugs.
According to the press, the current state of drug regulation in Vietnam, although there are certain legal frameworks, still has many loopholes, creating conditions for counterfeit drugs to creep into the distribution system, especially in the online environment. Worryingly, the increasing sophistication of counterfeit drug manufacturers is increasing.
In addition, a significant number of retail pharmacies have not strictly complied with regulations, selling drugs without invoices, unknown origins, accidentally or intentionally creating conditions for fake tea to be mixed into the official distribution system.
Currently, Vietnam's drug testing system has 3 central institutes and 62 provincial-level centers, but there are many limitations in modern equipment for rapid on-site testing. At the same time, the testing capacity between units is not yet synchronous.
Another difficult problem is that the regulations on handling administrative violations of the production and trading of counterfeit drugs are still light and not enough to deter. Meanwhile, the negative effects of fake drugs do not stop at causing economic damage but also lead to extremely serious consequences for the health of patients.
Regarding the above reflection, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long requested the Ministry of Health to continue to vigorously implement the solutions directed by the Prime Minister; strengthen solutions to control and handle fake drugs.
