New drug decree may cure swelling prices

New drug decree may cure swelling prices

VietNamNet Bridge – A decree on drug prices issued by the Ministry of Health last Friday contains several tough new regulations which are likely to stabilise prices, a ministry source said. The new decree, issued after a long delay, divides the administration of drug prices into three sections: The first involves the prices of drugs procured and paid for by the government - they will be fixed by the health ministry and provincial people's committees. The second involves essential drugs that will be used in State-owned clinics. They will be bought through tenders with the lowest bidders winning. The third involves drugs to be distributed in the open market. Their prices will be determined by dealers but controlled by government agencies. Besides, the drug companies will be required to make the prices public and apprise the authorised agencies of the costs of the drugs. Penalties for gouging The new policy also provides for penalties in case of violations of these regulations. The health ministry will temporarily suspend import licences for new drugs if a trading company is caught selling a drug at unreasonable prices. Analysts have hailed the proposed decree, saying it will help crack down on drug distributors demanding exorbitant prices. But they admit its effectiveness will depend on how well it is enforced in various places. Rising cost of materials The Viet Nam Pharmaceutical Manufacturing and Trading Association investigations reported that drug prices soared again last month for the third time this year following similar jumps in March and May. Drugs whose prices had risen the most included locally-made antibiotics and vitamins, it said. They became 30% more expensive on average. The prices of other imported antibiotics too had risen by between 5 and 40%, the association said. Pharmaceutical companies blamed the price hike on rising raw material prices, the report said. The Ministry of Industry and Trade admitted that the prices of many imported raw materials had risen steeply. In particular, the price of Cefaclor imported from India went up by 12%, and Ampicilin compacted by 4.7%. The cost of Trimethoprim imported from China had risen by 4%, paracetamol by 8%. Vitamin B6 by 7%, and Vitamin B1 by 3.5%, it added. Pharmaceutical experts say the fact that domestic manufacturing of drugs still relies heavily on imported raw materials is an important factor in destabilising drug prices. Drug Administration of Vietnam data shows that 95% of the raw materials used by the domestic pharmaceutical industry is imported. Deputy Minister of Health Cao Minh Quang says five factors contributed to increasing drug prices, with two of them being the most important. "There are so many layers of distribution between production and retailing." he says. The other major reason is "the high cost of promotional activities and commissions for retailers and doctors," Quang says. "In fact, these costs make up a considerable portion of the price." Existing regulations that allow traders to maintain prices they registered with the Drug Administration for five years are also a major problem, he says. "Many traders take advantage of this regulation," he says.

Meningitis and my child: Beth Egan's experience

Each year an estimated 500 Australians contract bacterial meningitis — a life-threatening illness. A number of bacteria cause meningitis, but pneumococcal and meningococcal bacteria are the most common causes and often affect infants, teenagers and the elderly.

While many Australian parents are generally aware of meningitis, recognising its symptoms in children can prove more challenging, a fact that Beth Egan learned the hard way when her youngest daughter Sophie contracted pneumococcal meningitis.

Sophie was 7 months old when we flew to Queensland for what was supposed to be a relaxing family holiday. We had barely unpacked when she developed a fever.

Sophie was typically a healthy baby so we were not initially alarmed and, suspecting a virus, gave her paracetamol as a precaution.

For the following 3 days, Sophie’s condition fluctuated. By day, she was fine – but at night the fever returned. On the fourth day, Sophie stopped feeding, developed an even higher temperature and began to vomit.

It became clear that Sophie was very ill so we made the decision to return home immediately.

We anxiously made our way from the airport to the hospital and by the time we arrived our normally lively baby was lying limp in my arms. She was whisked away for numerous tests. A lumbar puncture revealed she had pneumococcal meningitis. I knew about the dangers of meningitis, but never expected that one of my children would ever get it.

Sophie was admitted to hospital but was not out of the woods yet.

CAT scan

After a week of receiving high-dose antibiotics she had developed a weakness down her right side. A CAT Scan showed a build-up of pressure on her brain was causing the problem.

Doctors broke the news that Sophie required life-threatening surgery to relieve the pressure. We were terrified to learn that this involved drilling a hole into her tiny skull.

Thankfully the surgery was a success and 2 long weeks after she was admitted, we could finally take our baby home. Sophie has made a full recovery but the horrors of that fortnight will not be forgotten.

Preventing pneumococcal meningitis

Sophie's brush with pneumococcal meningitis prompted us to vaccinate our 3 older children against the disease.

We were fortunate that Sophie was diagnosed and received treatment before any long-term damage was done to her brain or her hearing. Others aren’t always so lucky because the symptoms of meningitis can be difficult to recognise.

Pneumococcal meningitis can have devastating results. After seeing first hand the impact the disease had on our daughter, I would encourage any parent to take steps to help prevent this happening to their child.