Doesn't the Drug Administration of Vietnam allow drug traders to abuse the pink eye epidemic to increase drug prices for treatment?
Doesn't the Drug Administration of Vietnam allow drug traders to abuse the pink eye epidemic to increase drug prices for treatment?
The Drug Administration of Vietnam under the Vietnam Ministry of Health has issued Official Dispatch 9474/QLD-GT in 2023 on ensuring the supply and strictly controlling the drug prices to treat pink eye.
In response to the increasing situation of pink eye in some provinces and cities, in order to ensure the supply of drugs and control the prices of drugs to treat pink eye, the Drug Administration of Vietnam requests drug manufacturers, importers, and drug traders as follows:
3. Drug manufacturers, importers, and drug traders:
- Proactively implement plans to produce and import drugs to ensure an adequate and timely supply of pink eye treatment drugs for medical facilities in accordance with signed winning drug supply contracts.
- Fully comply with regulations on drug price management, absolutely fail to abuse the epidemic situation to speculate, hoard and increase drug prices unreasonably for profit.
Accordingly, the Drug Administration of Vietnam has requested drug manufacturers, importers, and drug traders to fully comply with regulations on drug price management, and absolutely fail to abuse the epidemic situation to speculate, hoard, and increase drug prices unreasonably for profit.
What are the requirements for ensuring the supply of drugs for pink eye treatment in Vietnam?
In Official Dispatch 9474/QLD-GT in 2023, the Drug Administration of Vietnam has set out the requirements for ensuring the supply of drugs for pink eye treatment in Vietnam as follows:
Departments of Health of provinces and centrally-run cities:
- Instruct medical facilities in the area to urgently and proactively procure drugs to treat pink eye in appropriate forms to ensure a timely supply of drugs for treatment, fail to supply a lack of drugs for treatment and examination, and strictly comply with regulations on retail surplus at drug retail establishments within the premises of medical facilities.
- Instruct pharmacy business establishments in the locality to strictly comply with regulations on drug price management, and fail to abuse the epidemic situation to speculate, hoard, and increase drug prices unreasonably for profit.
- Direct drug retailers to strictly comply with regulations on selling prescription drugs and guide people when buying drugs, using drugs prescribed by doctors, and instructions for the use of drugs to ensure safety and effectiveness.
- Strengthen audit and inspection of production and trading activities of drugs to treat pink eye and strictly handle violations, especially cases of trading in drugs of unknown origin and origin, taking advantage of epidemics to increase drug prices unreasonably.
Hospitals and institutes with beds for patients under the Vietnam Vietnam Ministry of Health:
- Urgently and proactively procure drugs to treat pink eye in appropriate forms to ensure timely supply of drugs for treatment, prevent shortages of drugs for medical examination and treatment at establishments and strictly comply with regulations on retail surplus at drug retail establishments in the mold members of medical facilities.
What are the treatment methods for pink eye in Vietnam?
In Subsection 4, Section 8 of the Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases issued together with Decision 40/QD-BYT in 2015, the Vietnam Ministry of Health guides the treatment methods of pink eye in Vietnam as follows:
Principles of treatment
- Active and urgent treatment
- Local and systemic treatment
- Treatment according to etiology
- Detect the source of infection for treatment and prevention of spread
Treatment regimen
At the eye
- Daily peeling
- Continuous eye rinse with physiological saline 0.9% to eliminate pus and hormones
- In the early days of rapid progression of the disease, apply the drug several times in the form of a solution (every 15-30 minutes) to one of the following groups:
+ Aminoglycosides: tobramycin...
+ Fluoroquinolons: ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, gatifloxacin...
+ Precautions when using corticosteroids: Prednisolone acetate, Fluorometholone.
- When the disease is in remission, the number of eye tests can be reduced.
- Coordinate ointment in one of the above groups at noon and evening.
- Corneal nutrition and artificial tears.
Systemic:
- Only used in gonococcal conjunctivitis and diphtheria.
- One of the antibiotics can be given after severe disease, accompanied by systemic symptoms.
+ Fluoroquinolones: contraindicated for children under 16 years old.
+ Drugs to improve physical condition.
+ 3rd generation cephalosporin:
Adult:
▪ If the cornea has not ulcerated: A single dose of 1 gram intramuscularly
▪ If the cornea has an ulcer: 1 gram x 3 times/day intravenously
Children: Single dose 125mg intramuscularly or 25mg/kg body weight 2-3 times daily x 7 days intramuscularly.
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