Drug certificate expiry leads to risk of medicine shortfall
HCMC – Vietnam may face a medicine shortage as over 40% of drug registration certificates will expire at the
Authorized drugs will be used for mild illnesses and specialized treatments, such as digestive, diabetic, cardiovascular, skeletal and respiratory disorders.
Around one-third of the medicines are manufactured domestically, with six approved for a three-year circulation. The circulation period of the rest is five years.
As for imported drugs, nearly 100 items were granted a circulation period of five years.
Vietnam has recently faced a severe lack of drugs and medical equipment, particularly in major public hospitals in Hanoi and HCMC.
The shortfall is partly due to the expiry of certain medicines’ registration numbers and a personnel shortage in management agencies, in addition to obstacles in the dossier process for specialized equipment purchases, the media reported.
In 2021, the country’s pharmaceutical business was valued at US$6.92 billion, with locally produced medicines making up 46% of the total.
Vietnam currently has 228 medicine manufacturing facilities meeting GMP-WHO standards, according to the Vietnam News Agency.