Principles for Constructing the List of Essential Medicines

To be specific, according to the regulations in Article 2 of Circular 19/2018/TT-BYT, the formulation of the essential drug list must adhere to the following principles:

1. Based on the criteria for drug selection as specified in Clause 2, Article 2 of Circular 19/2018/TT-BYT, diagnostic and treatment guidelines, technical procedures issued by the Minister of Health; inheriting the 6th edition of the Vietnam Essential Drug List and referencing the World Health Organization's essential medicines list.

2. Conforming to policies, laws concerning drugs, actual usage, and the capability of ensuring drug supply in Vietnam.

3. Regulations on recording drug names in the Essential Drug List:

- Do not record brand names of drugs;- Chemical drugs, biological products: recorded according to the international nonproprietary name of the active ingredient or mixture of active ingredients in the drug formula;- Vaccines are recorded according to the type of vaccine or the names of the components in the vaccine (e.g., hepatitis B vaccine);- Traditional medicine herbs are recorded according to the names of the herbal ingredients, including the commonly known Vietnamese name and the scientific name. The Vietnamese name of the herbal ingredients may have various other names, but they must correspond to the same scientific name;- Herbal drugs, traditional medicines (excluding traditional medicinal herbs): recorded according to the Vietnamese name of each herbal ingredient or medicinal component in the same drug formula. In cases where the herbal ingredient or medicinal component has different Vietnamese names, the scientific name of the herb should be used as the reference.

For more details, see: Circular 19/2018/TT-BYT, effective from October 15, 2018.

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