Drug prices spiral out of control

HCM City (VNA) - The retail prices of many drugs, most of them manufactured by large firms or imported, have been rising in the past two months.

Pharmacies said around 200 drugs have become more expensive in the past
month and further price rises are likely.

The prices of some products made by Roussel Vietnam and 3-2
Pharmaceutical Joint-Stock Company have gone up lightly.

As for imported drugs, nearly 60 products distributed by Zuellig Pharma
Vietnam have become 6 to 11 percent more expensive since October 1.

In monetary terms, however, the hikes have been fairly large. For
instance, Casodex 50mg went up from 2.76 million VND (164 USD) for a box of
28 pills to 3.6 million VND (180 USD), and Zoladex 3.6mg went up from 2.34
million VND (139 USD) to 2.57 million VND (153 USD).

The prices of dozens of drugs imported by Diethelm Vietnam have all
gone up slightly this month. This includes 21 products made by American
giant Merck, 13 by French firm Sanofi, and six by US-based UCB Pharma.

Earlier in September, the price of nearly 120 drugs imported by Zuellig
increased by 5 to 11 percent.-Enditem