New proposals on drug prescribing

The Ministry of Health is drafting a Circular regulating prescriptions and the prescription of pharmaceutical and biological drugs in outpatient treatment to ensure that prescriptions are appropriate to the diagnosis and severity of the disease, while achieving the goal of safety and rationality in drug use.

The Ministry of Health is drafting a Circular regulating prescriptions and the prescription of pharmaceutical and biological drugs in outpatient treatment to ensure that prescriptions are appropriate to the diagnosis and severity of the disease, while achieving the goal of safety and rationality in drug use.

The pharmaceutical industry is making great efforts to curb drug abuse.

Limit drug abuse

According to the Draft, prescriptions must be based on documents prescribed by the Ministry of Health. The quantity of prescribed drugs is based on treatment guidelines, but must not exceed 30 days, except in cases of prescriptions for addictive drugs, painkillers for cancer or AIDS patients, psychotropic drugs, and precursor drugs.

The draft also specifies drugs that are not allowed in prescriptions, including drugs not intended for disease prevention or treatment, drugs not licensed for circulation in Vietnam, functional foods and cosmetics.

According to the provisions of the Draft, for drugs with one active ingredient, write the international nonproprietary name (INN), for example Paracetamol 500 mg. For drugs with multiple active ingredients or medical biological products, write the trade name. If prescribing a toxic drug, the toxic drug must be written before other drugs.

Electronic prescriptions will have the same legal value as paper prescriptions. Medical facilities will use software to create, digitally sign, share and store prescriptions. In particular, for drugs with special control, such as narcotics, psychotropic drugs, and precursor drugs, medical facilities must print prescriptions and store them at the facility.

It is known that after the revised Pharmacy Law allowed the sale of non-prescription drugs online, the purchase and sale of drugs has become much more convenient. According to Mr. Nguyen Tuan Cuong, Director of the Department of Drug Administration (Ministry of Health), the online drug sales market in Vietnam began to develop strongly from 2017 - 2018 and currently accounts for 5-8% of the drug sales market share, with more than 1,000 online pharmaceutical businesses. However, online drug sales also face many challenges.

Online drug stores are only allowed to sell non-prescription drugs and are not controlled drugs. Online drug stores must comply with inspection and licensing regulations before selling drugs through electronic platforms.

The Drug Administration recommends that online drug stores must comply with strict regulations on drug sales.

Consider allowing online prescription drug sales?

Although online shopping has become a popular choice, drugs are directly related to people's health and lives, so allowing the sale of prescription drugs through electronic platforms must comply with conditions to ensure safety, protect public health and prevent risks.

Currently, the health sector is implementing electronic medical records and electronic prescriptions, but the scale of implementation is still small and not uniform nationwide. Along with that, the lack of a complete national health database is also a major challenge.

Selling drugs via e-commerce must comply with strict conditions regarding facilities, personnel and drug quality. Specifically, online drug businesses must be establishments that have been granted a certificate of eligibility to trade in traditional pharmaceuticals and online sales are only a supplementary activity.

These facilities are required to adhere to strict drug testing and quality control procedures.

The National Assembly has decided to allow the sale of prescription drugs online only when there are group A infectious diseases. In this case, pharmaceutical businesses can sell prescription drugs online, but must comply with strict consultation and control procedures.

Regarding the benefits of allowing online prescription drug sales, some opinions say that it will help reduce the burden on medical facilities, especially during times when there are many patients or when there is an emergency. Patients can receive advice and buy medicine online without having to go to the hospital, helping to save time, costs and reduce overload at medical facilities.

A representative of a pharmaceutical business said that allowing the sale of prescription drugs online also creates opportunities for businesses to expand their market, increase brand awareness and optimize the sales process.

One of the major concerns when selling prescription drugs online is the issue of drug safety and quality. However, if strictly managed and properly implemented, selling prescription drugs via e-commerce can help to better protect consumers.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/de-xuat-moi-ve-ke-don-thuoc-d250711.html