Nhan Dan - The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Health on November 11 signed a Memorandum of Understanding to promote pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmaceutical industries and jointly carry out measures to stabilise the pharmaceutical market in Vietnam.

Under the MoU, the two ministries will boost co-operation in three key fields: scientific research for production of pharmaceutical chemistry materials and application in the pharmaceutical industry; distribution of pharmaceutical products, trading rights of foreign enterprises; and foreign investment in pharmaceutical industry.

The Ministry of Health will make proposals of necessary materials to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Ministry of Industry and Trade will then focus on production of these materials on a trial basis before producing them on an industrial scale after transferring the technology to pharmaceutical chemistry factories.

The two ministries have agreed to jointly build antibiotic pharmaceutical factories.

In distribution, the Ministry of Trade will co-ordinate closely with the Ministry of Health in formulating and issuing regulations relating to the organisation of pharmaceutical distribution system under a chain model.

In addition, the two ministries will co-operate to build plans to fight trade frauds on pharmaceutical products and cosmetics.