Strictly manage drug prices, as a legal basis for organizing bidding.

On the afternoon of August 29, at the National Assembly House, full-time National Assembly deputies discussed the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Pharmacy.

National Assembly delegate of Hanoi City Tran Thi Nhi Ha speaks. Photo: Doan Tan/VNA

Tightly manage drug prices

Commenting on the issue of drug price management, delegate Tran Thi Nhi Ha (Hanoi) said, "this is a very important issue". Accordingly, drug price declaration is a legal basis for organizing drug bidding, therefore, the issue of drug price management is always a hot issue, receiving a lot of attention.

Delegate Tran Thi Nhi Ha said that the expected wholesale price of drugs is the maximum selling price set by the drug importer. The drug manufacturer must determine it before selling the first batch of drugs to the market. Drug wholesalers are not allowed to sell at a higher price. Thus, we still stipulate that the drug importer and manufacturer determine a wholesale price, but other establishments are not allowed to sell at a higher price.

Considering that there are no regulations on retail prices, while strictly implementing retail price declaration without regulations on surplus prices compared to retail prices, delegate Tran Thi Nhi Ha said that it will cause a monopoly in the drug market or make it very difficult for pharmacies that are not drugstore chain organizations.

"The regulation of expected wholesale drug prices and the announcement of expected wholesale drug prices also make the price declaration of drug wholesalers less meaningful because the regulation on declared prices cannot be higher than the announced wholesale prices. Thus, the content when organizing implementation will be difficult," said delegate Nhi Ha.

Regarding e-commerce drug trading, delegate Tran Thi Nhi Ha said that the drafting committee has revised this content a lot and raised two main issues. That is, if retailing is done via e-commerce, the list of non-prescription drugs will be implemented. However, the draft stipulates another form, which is wholesale via e-commerce, which means selling both prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, specially managed drugs and pharmaceutical ingredients.

Delegate Tran Thi Nhi Ha said that the implementation of this form will be very difficult in practice, because if doing business by e-commerce, it is difficult to distinguish between wholesale and retail. "According to regulations, wholesaling drugs is not selling a lot, retailing drugs is not selling a little, but wholesaling drugs is selling to a legal entity, retailing drugs is selling to consumers. Thus, drug wholesalers need to prove who they are selling to, a pharmacy or a pharmaceutical company," said delegate Nhi Ha.

National Assembly Delegate of Hanoi City Nguyen Anh Tri speaks. Photo: Doan Tan/VNA

Also speaking on this issue, delegate Nguyen Anh Tri (Hanoi) said that remote medical examination and treatment is gradually developing, prescriptions must be electronic prescriptions, electronic medical records...; delivering medicine to patients' homes. This is e-commerce.

Therefore, delegate Nguyen Anh Tri hopes that the Drafting Committee will consider adding regulations to allow the sale of drugs online for cases of remote medical examination and treatment, with the following conditions: The drugs must be supplied by a reputable, licensed pharmacy; the delivery person must be registered and managed by that pharmacy.

"These two conditions are very important. If regulated like that, it will be implemented. Remote medical examination and treatment, remote prescription to deliver medicine to patients is something that cannot be prevented, sooner or later it will happen and happen very strongly," emphasized delegate Nguyen Anh Tri.

Thanking the National Assembly delegates for their responsible and authentic comments on the draft Law, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan expressed her willingness to study and continue to perfect the draft content. "This is a very important law for the health sector, and when it is promulgated, it will come into effect. Therefore, the Ministry of Health accepts all comments," said Minister Dao Hong Lan.

Complete the entire program

Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh concluded and delivered a speech at the end of the Conference. Photo: Doan Tan/VNA

At the meeting, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh said that the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Pharmacy has received deep participation from National Assembly deputies. Up to this point, there are only some technical contents, not related to the main content.

Accordingly, the issue of medical oxygen has been highly agreed upon between the drafting agency and the agency in charge of the review. The National Assembly Standing Committee agreed to include it in the resolution at the October Session to assign the Government to regulate. "In addition to medical oxygen, gas for use in medical examination and treatment, cosmetic management is also a content that has a legal gap that has not been managed in the recent past. The Ministry of Health will continue to research to advise the Government on implementation," the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly said.

Concluding the conference of full-time delegates, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Thanh said that after two days of serious and urgent work, the conference of full-time National Assembly delegates discussed 11 draft laws, including the draft Law on Urban and Rural Planning; Law on Juvenile Justice; Law on Prevention and Combat of Human Trafficking (amended); Law on Notarization (amended); Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue; Law on People's Air Defense; Law on Trade Unions (amended); Law on Cultural Heritage (amended); Law on Geology and Minerals; Law on Value Added Tax (amended); Law on Electricity (amended); Law on amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Pharmacy.

Up to this point, the conference of full-time National Assembly deputies has been very successful, completing the entire proposed program.

The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly said that after the conference, the National Assembly Standing Committee will coordinate with the Government to direct the agencies in charge of verification, the agencies in charge of drafting, and relevant agencies to absorb the opinions of National Assembly deputies; continue to collect opinions of National Assembly deputies, relevant agencies and organizations to complete the draft law, the report of the National Assembly Standing Committee for comments to submit to the National Assembly for discussion and consideration at the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly.

Source