ASEAN working group for health supplements meets in Da Nang

The event attracted more than 150 delegates from traditional medicine and health supplement management agencies and observers in Vietnam and other ASEAN countries.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc Cuong said Vietnam has made substantial contributions to the food and pharmaceutical industries as well as economic growth in ASEAN.

The growing number of health supplements and traditional medicines has helped diversify the food and pharmaceutical market. Therefore, the harmonisation of domestic relevant regulations and standards with those in the region and the world is among top priorities of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, he noted.

He added the ministry has actively taken part in ASEAN working groups, including the TMHS PWG. It has drawn up guidelines on good manufacturing practice (GMP) for health supplements basing on ASEAN guidelines, and plans to have them compulsorily applied in Vietnam in 2020.

The 27th TMHS PWG meeting was an occasion for ASEAN countries to learn more about the management and development of the health supplement and traditional medicine industry in the region, while seeking coordination to fully tap the sector’s potential.

Cuong called for ASEAN’s investment and cooperation with Vietnam in the industry, thus helping Vietnamese people access more products with good quality and reasonable prices.

At the two-day meeting, participants are set to review the working group’s performance and shared experience in ensuring food safety. They will also discuss the content of an ASEAN agreement on GMP in health supplement and traditional medicine production.

From May 15-17, representatives of regional countries convened a meeting on the ASEAN regulatory framework on traditional medicines and health supplements, a meeting on GMP in traditional medicine and health supplement production, and another also on traditional medicines and health supplements of the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology.