Legal Basis

  • Pharmaceutical Law 2016 and Amended Pharmaceutical Law 2024.
  • Price Law 2023.
  • Decree 85/2024/ND-CP detailing certain provisions of the Price Law.
  • Essential Medicines List: Circular No. 28/2024/TT-BYT.
  • Non-Prescription Medicines List: Circular No. 07/2017/TT-BYT.
  • Prescription Medicines List: Includes all medicines not listed in the non-prescription medicines list.

Drug Price Management Measures

– Detailed regulations in Article 107 of the Pharmaceutical Law and its amendments.

– Key differences compared to the 2016 Pharmaceutical Law:

  • The 2016 Pharmaceutical Law only required price declaration and re-declaration.
  • Amended Law 2024:
    • Price management through wholesale price announcement and re-announcement.
    • Price management through wholesale price declaration, retail price declaration, and re-declaration.

Forms of Drug Price Announcement and Declaration

1. Wholesale Price Announcement

  • Announcing Entities:
    • Importers (for foreign medicines),
    • Manufacturers (for domestically produced medicines).
  • Regulatory Authority: Ministry of Health.
  • Timing of Announcement:
    • Must be announced before selling the first batch to the market.
  • Required Documents: Pending guidelines.
  • Management Approach:
    • Announced prices will be publicly available on the Drug Administration of Vietnam’s electronic portal.
    • Announced prices represent wholesale prices for the entire distribution chain. No wholesaler is allowed to sell above the announced price.
    • Estimated fee: 800,000 VND per submission.
  • Effective Date: From July 1, 2025, except for previously declared and re-declared prices under the old law.

2. Wholesale and Retail Price Declaration

  • Declaring Entities:
    • Wholesale establishments,
    • Retail establishments (pharmacies, drug counters, healthcare station medicine cabinets).
  • Notes:
    • Not all wholesale and retail establishments are required to declare prices.
    • The list of required declaring entities will be issued periodically by the Provincial People’s Committee before February 15, 2024.
  • Regulatory Authority: Submission to the Department of Health.
  • Timing of Declaration:
    • Within 5 days from the price determination date (invoice issuance).
  • Management Approach:
    • Prices will not be publicly disclosed. Instead, the Department of Health will compile them into the national price management database. Only authorized entities with accounts can access the data.
    • Sales must follow the declared prices.
    • No submission fees required.
  • Required Documents: According to Decree 85/2024/ND-CP.
  • Drug Price Declaration Form: As per Decree 85/2024/ND-CP.

Important Notes on Price Declaration Forms

  • A single price declaration form can cover multiple products at once.


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  • The selling price of the same product may vary for different buyers.

  • Effective Date: From July 10, 2024.

Entities Required for Price Announcement and Declaration

Drug Type
Wholesale Price Announcement
Wholesale/Retail Price Declaration
Prescription drugs in the Essential Medicines List
✅ Required
✅ Required
Prescription drugs NOT in the Essential Medicines List
✅ Required
❌ Not required
Non-prescription drugs in the Essential Medicines List
❌ Not required
✅ Required
Non-prescription drugs NOT in the Essential Medicines List
❌ Not required
❌ Not required
  • Exemption from Price Announcement:
    • If the drug is imported for non-commercial purposes.
    • If the drug is domestically produced and granted an exemption by the government.