According to the Drug Administration of Vietnam, Ministry of Health, there is still enough supply of drugs containing the active ingredient Oseltamivir to treat flu on the market, so people should not panic and buy drugs to stockpile.
According to the Drug Administration of Vietnam, Ministry of Health, there is still enough supply of drugs containing the active ingredient Oseltamivir to treat flu on the market, so people should not panic and buy drugs to stockpile.
According to the Ministry of Health, the number of flu cases has increased locally since the end of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year 2025, but there has been no change compared to previous years. The common strains of influenza virus are influenza A/H3N2, A/H1N1 and influenza B.
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| People should not panic, buy medicine to stockpile, but only buy medicine to use after being examined and prescribed. |
Seasonal influenza is a highly contagious infectious disease that is often recorded as a cluster of cases or an epidemic. The disease is caused by influenza viruses, with two common groups: A (accounting for about 75% of cases) and B (accounting for about 25%).
The pathogen can survive for hours in the environment, especially longer in cold temperatures and humid environments. From 0 to 4 degrees Celsius, the virus can live for several weeks. At minus 20 degrees Celsius and freeze-dried, the virus can live for several years.
The initial symptoms of influenza include fever, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle pain, fatigue and can recover after 2-7 days, easily confused with the symptoms of the common cold. Therefore, people still subjectively think that the disease is mild, delaying the time of detection and treatment.
While the disease can become severe and cause death when the virus invades organs causing pneumonia, myocarditis, encephalitis, sepsis. Groups such as people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, children, people with underlying diseases such as cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney failure, diabetes... are at higher risk of becoming more severe.
Faced with the increase in flu cases, many people are tempted to stockpile Tamiflu. On social networking sites, many people are also advertising drugs containing the active ingredient Oseltamivir as hand-carried goods... This causes panic among people, leading to unnecessary hoarding, causing a shortage in the market for those who really need it.
The representative of the Drug Administration of Vietnam, Ministry of Health emphasized that Oseltamivir is a prescription drug. According to the provisions of Clause 28, Article 2 of the Law on Pharmacy, prescription drugs must have a prescription when being dispensed, retailed and used. If used not according to the prescription of the prescriber, it can be dangerous to life and health.
"People should not panic and buy medicine to stockpile, but only buy medicine to use after being examined and prescribed," a representative of the Department of Drug Administration, Ministry of Health recommended.
According to the agency, the wholesale price of drugs containing Oseltamivir remains the same. Any act of taking advantage of or increasing the selling price for personal gain will be punished according to Clause 4, Article 15 of Decree 87/2024/ND-CP dated July 12, 2024 with a fine of VND 50,000,000 to VND 80,000,000 for individuals; for organizations, the fine is doubled according to the provisions of Clause 4, Article 3 of this Decree.
In addition, according to the provisions of Clause 5, Article 15 of Decree 87/2024/ND-CP, organizations and individuals who commit this violation are also required to remedy the consequences, specifically, to return to customers the amount of money they have profited from the administrative violation.
To be proactive in drug supply, the Drug Administration of Vietnam has issued documents requiring units to be proactive in supply and not to hoard goods to increase prices, No. 3847/QLD-KD dated December 2, 2024 and No. 414/QLD-KD dated February 7, 2025.
The Drug Administration of Vietnam requested the Department of Health of provinces and centrally-run cities to continue directing local medical facilities to closely monitor the epidemic situation and the demand for influenza treatment drugs; strengthen inspection and supervision of drug supply and use, ensure that drugs are distributed reasonably, and avoid speculation and unreasonable price increases.
Faced with the complicated flu epidemic situation in many localities in the North, the Ministry of Health also requested that medical facilities must make plans to reserve and purchase flu treatment drugs, especially antiviral drugs, to ensure readiness and timely supply of flu treatment drugs and that their use must be reasonable, avoiding the abuse of antiviral drugs to limit the risk of drug resistance.
Source: https://baodautu.vn/nguoi-dan-khong-nen-tich-tru-thuoc-dieu-tri-cum-d245532.html
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