Vietnam spent $1.3 billion on importing pharmaceuticals in the first eleven months of this year, rising 18% from a year earlier, showed statistics by the Vietnamese General Department of Customs. The country imported an estimated of $123 million worth of the products in Nov, posting an on-year rise of 14%, the department added. Between Jan and Nov, France remained Vietnam’s biggest supplier of pharmaceutical products worth $181 million, followed by India with $151 million, South Korea $132 million, Germany $91 million, the U.S. $43 million and Switzerland $41 million. Vietnam is forecast to spend $1.45 billion on importing pharmaceuticals this year. The Southeast Asian country will prioritize improving its pharmaceutical industry in efforts to reduce the imports and satisfy 70% of the country’s drug demand by 2015, from the current only 50%, Deputy Minister of Health Cao Minh Quang said. (Dau Tu – Investment Dec 21 p2)
