Vietnam Biopharmaceutical Industry Development Workshop

Attending the workshop, on behalf of the Ministry of Health were the Permanent Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen; the Deputy Director of the Drug Administration Department Ta Manh Hung; the Director of the Central Center for Health Communication and Education Vu Manh Cuong, along with representatives from several departments, bureaus, and units under the Ministry of Health. Also present were Mr. Joseph Damond – Global President, Life Sciences; Mr. Sundar Ramanan – Quality Director, Enzene Company (India); Ms. Han Thi Khanh Vinh – General Director of Vietnam Pharmaceutical Company (Vinapharm); and many delegates from relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.

The Vietnamese pharmaceutical industry currently has a market size of approximately US$7 billion and aims to contribute over US$20 billion to the national GDP by 2045, while strengthening its integration into the global supply chain. From July 1st, 2025, the amended Pharmaceutical Law will come into effect, introducing numerous preferential policies for new drug groups, including support for research and development, technology transfer, new drugs, branded drugs, high-tech drugs, specialized treatments, vaccines, biological products, and biotechnology.

Speaking at the workshop, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen stated: In recent years, Vietnam’s pharmaceutical industry has made strong progress. Currently, the country has 242 drug manufacturing plants, of which 21 meet EU-GMP standards, producing more than 800 active ingredients belonging to 13 essential drug groups of the World Health Organization (WHO). Some biotechnology products such as insulin and interferon are now produced domestically. In particular, the Pharmaceutical Industry Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, concretized in the amended Pharmaceutical Law recently passed by the National Assembly, sets a target of producing 80% of the necessary drugs and 70% of the market value by 2030 domestically. Among these, biological drugs are one of the key priorities for investment, research, and development.

Although Vietnam’s pharmaceutical industry is gradually asserting its role in the region, biotechnology remains a nascent field. Currently, the country has only one biotechnology drug manufacturing facility and two others in the research and development phase. Biotechnology products mainly focus on a few vaccines produced using traditional technology; there are not many highly effective biotechnology products used in the treatment of specialized diseases, serious illnesses, or emerging epidemics. The research and development capacity of enterprises is limited, failing to keep pace with and apply modern biotechnology. “Vietnam is currently only at the stage of coordinating late-stage clinical trials, and cannot yet proactively research and develop from the first phase. Meanwhile, other countries have closed-loop, continuous production processes, significantly reducing costs by eliminating intermediate steps that do not add value. We need to proactively produce biological drugs, especially those for treating chronic diseases like cancer. This way, people can access drugs more quickly and at the most affordable prices, reducing treatment costs, especially for cancer patients,” Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen emphasized.

Dr. Ta Manh Hung, Deputy Director of the Drug Administration Department (Ministry of Health), also believes that the shift from producing generic drugs to biological drugs will open up great opportunities for domestic businesses and expects that if Vietnam can master the technology and participate in the global supply chain, it can completely become a center for biological drug production in the region.

Concluding the workshop, Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen emphasized: In the coming time, the state will focus on perfecting the legal system, implementing concentrated industrial zones, prioritizing the biopharmaceutical industrial zone in Thai Binh and the high-tech medical and pharmaceutical zone in Ho Chi Minh City; prioritizing investment in biological products, vaccines, proprietary drugs, and high technology. Deputy Minister Do Xuan Tuyen also outlined several key solutions; and requested the Drug Administration of Vietnam to advise the Ministry of Health on policies to increase attractiveness for investors, simplify procedures, strengthen intellectual property protection, and create an ecosystem to support research and production.

Against the backdrop of Vietnam actively attracting foreign investment and promoting innovation in the fields of biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals, the workshop serves as a forum for sharing best practices from international sources in basic research, clinical trials, and commercialization of biopharmaceutical products. Furthermore, the event will foster dialogue on policy frameworks and enhance cooperation between domestic pharmaceutical companies and international partners to support knowledge and technology transfer.

Source : http://t5g.org.vn/