Vietnam National Chemical Group and Ampharco USA have been asked to complete a report on investing and producing vaccine materials to submit to the government before Aug 22 for approval, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said at a meeting in Hanoi Aug 3. The domestic demand for antibiotics is enormous, but Mekophar Chemical Pharmaceutical JSC is the only Vietnamese firm producing them with a capacity of 400 tons a year, the Vietnam News Agency cited Hai as saying Aug 5. Hai called on Mekophar and relevant agencies to boost the construction of a raw material plant for the antibiotic Cephalexin as soon as possible. The deputy PM pledged the government would facilitate development of the pharmaceutical industry, particularly for vaccine production and its raw materials. In 2009, Vietnam spent $1.17 billion on importing medicine products, including $267 million billion worth of raw materials. Domestically-made medicines only met 50% of the nation's demand. Vietnam’s pharmaceutical sector has to date attracted 27 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects totaling $302 million, including 24 medicine production projects and three drug storage projects.
