VIETNAM OUTLINES NEW PHARMACEUTICAL EXPORT PLANS

Vietnamese drug regulators have highlighted plans to boost the country's drug exports. Possible measures include improving management quality at Vietnamese drugmakers, as well as improving the tax structure for medicine imports and exports. In the long term, the industry is expected to target middle-income export markets such as Ukraine and Thailand.

In 2004, Vietnamese drug exports grew by 31% to US$600mn, according to official data. There are roughly 59 firms operating in Vietnam, including 165 production facilities, although less then half are known to meet South East Asian GMP standards.

Vietnam's need to boost exports is pressing in view of the market's dependence on imports, which account for the majority of sales value. The government has also recently legalised parallel imports from "comparable" Southeast Asian countries and attempted to boost output at state-owned production facilities.