electronic trading floor for pharmaceuticals

Hanoi (VNA) – An electronic trading floor for pharmaceuticals, the first of its
kind in the country, will open at the end of this month as part of an initiative by
the Vietnam Pharmaceutical Production and Trading Association (VPPTA).

The site www.santhuoc.vn is expected to attract domestic and foreign
businesses operating in pharmaceutical production, import, export and distribution,
as well as equipment manufacturers and services involved in pharmaceutical
production.

According to the President of the VPPTA Do Van Doanh, the new trading site should
stimulate domestic consumption and promote local pharmaceutical products while
creating better conditions for local and foreign businesses to launch joint
projects.

At present, there are nearly 1,000 businesses registered to trade in
pharmaceuticals. Thirty percent of them are foreign and operate from
representative offices.

At present the domestic pharmaceuticals industry is capable of meeting only 50
percent of local demands, however it plans to meet 60 percent of domestic demand in
2010 and 70 percent by 2015.-Enditem