VIETNAMESE PHARMA COMPANIES MUST MEET GMP STANDARDS

The director of Vietnam's Pharmaceutical Management Department, Cao Minh Quang, said that the country's pharmaceutical manufacturers will soon face closure if they fail to meet international standards on drug production. Additionally, a pending decree on the drug law will fix drug prices.

The director warned that all drugmakers must meet the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' (ASEAN) good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards starting Jan. 1, 2007, and the World Health Organization's (WHO) GMP standards beginning in 2008.

Of the 174 drug manufacturers in Vietnam, only 42 meet the ASEAN GMP and only 18 meet the WHO GMP, which the director said might prompt the department to change the deadlines.

As for the decree on the drug law, which the department announced will go into effect on Friday, Vietnamese drug companies, exporters, importers and traders must fix their prices, and their activities will be monitored by the Drug Authority.