National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue gives comments on amending the Pharmacy Law: Incentives for enterprises producing high-tech products

According to National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, there should be preferential policies for enterprises producing high-tech products through a roadmap to reduce drug prices, increase the rate of deduction for research and development funds...

Giving comments on amending the Law on Pharmacy at the 32nd session of the National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) on the afternoon of April 16, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue commented that the draft law had been carefully prepared, making great strides in thinking about amending the law.

Regarding the specific amendments, the National Assembly Chairman noted that currently, most common medicines can be produced in Vietnam, but about 90% of raw materials for making medicines must be imported and most of the special and essential medicines still have to be imported. According to National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, the development of the pharmaceutical industry is both economic and related to the care and protection of people's health, so it needs to be given great attention and have policies to promote development.

QC CHIỀU 16.jpeg — Scene of the meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Assembly on the afternoon of April 16

“It is necessary to review Decision No. 376/2021 of the Prime Minister on the pharmaceutical and medicinal materials industry development program to 2030, with a vision to 2045, to legalize a number of policies to encourage the strong development of this industry. In particular, there should be preferential policies for enterprises producing high-tech products through regulations on drug price reduction roadmaps and increasing the ratio of research and development funds for enterprises researching and developing new drugs,” said the National Assembly Chairman.

Promoting domestic and foreign joint ventures into chains, especially in technology transfer activities in Vietnam, is also a focus that needs to be noted. Vietnam's distribution policy is still limited, so if domestic and foreign enterprises can be linked together to produce, distribute, and circulate... the efficiency will be much higher.

CHIỀU 16.jpeg — Delegates attending the meeting on the afternoon of April 16

In addition, according to the National Assembly Chairman, there should be preferential import tax policies for imported raw materials for making medicines. “With some raw materials that must be imported but the import price is high, the cost of medicine will be expensive, people will have to buy expensive medicine. Should there be research on additional preferential import tax policies for imported raw materials for making medicine packaging, excipients, capsules... Those that cannot be produced yet should have preferential tax to reduce costs,” the National Assembly Chairman suggested.

Comrade Vuong Dinh Hue also said that there should be separate policies with more incentives for drugs to treat rare diseases as well as scientific research activities and testing with rare drugs. Although large companies and corporations will have research centers, there should be a national pharmaceutical research and development center chaired by the Ministry of Health.

MR. PHUONG

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