Vietnam: New Drug Ad Regs, Other Moves

Vietnam's Ministry of Health has issued a new regulation stating thatforeign companies and individuals trading in pharmaceuticals must now coordinate their activities with an authorized Vietnamese drugs agency in order to organize workshops if they wish to promote their products, reports the Vietnam Courier. The authorized agencies include, among others, the Pharmacists' Association and the Medical Association.

The MoH has also banned advertisements for drugs which are unregistered or whose licenses have expired or been cancelled. "Addictive" and therapeutic medicines for tuberculosis, mental disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, sleep disorders, cancer and diabetes, as well as stimulants, are now apparently banned from advertising.

Advertising information must now include detailed specifications of the product, its MoH certification, registration number, generic name, formula, dosage, side effects and the manufacturer's name and address. A drug advertisement is allowed to run for up to five days in a daily newspaper, on 50 occasions in radio broadcasts in five days and on 40 occasions in television broadcasts in eight days.