Ho Chi Minh City: The shortage of Tamiflu is just an illusion!

In an interview with reporters regarding the stockpile of Tamiflu, Dr. Le Truong Giang, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, stated that the health sector currently has a reserve of medications sufficient to meet treatment needs in the event of an outbreak at levels 3, 4, and 5.

Citizens can feel assured about the availability of treatment medications as the Ministry of Health has also stockpiled a significant amount of Tamiflu. Mr. Giang emphasized that people should not purchase Tamiflu on their own, as it can be both costly and potentially harmful.

Is There a “Shortage” of Tamiflu?

Ho Chi Minh City Tropical Diseases Hospital preparing Tamiflu for patients

Meanwhile, the free market and pharmaceutical companies, as well as pharmacies, are experiencing a “shortage” of Tamiflu. Pharmacist Nguyen Ngoc Cung, Deputy Director of Yteco Pharmaceuticals, reported that the company has only a few dozen boxes left, but orders from Kien Giang have depleted their stock. Yteco has contacted Roche to order 210 boxes (10 pills per box) as requested by two pharmaceutical companies in Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City, but was only able to secure 75 boxes.

According to Mr. Cung, many pharmaceutical companies in Ho Chi Minh City and several provinces, as well as hospitals, are looking to stockpile medications in anticipation of potential outbreaks. Currently, orders for Tamiflu have reached 2,000-3,000 boxes, with some companies expressing a desire to purchase 1,000 boxes immediately. In fact, many citizens are reaching out to Yteco to inquire about purchasing Tamiflu!

In response to the demand from various entities, Yteco has submitted a formal request to the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health, asking them to urge Roche to support Yteco in acquiring Tamiflu for distribution to hospitals and regions at risk of outbreaks. On the morning of November 3, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health issued a letter of approval, and Yteco subsequently sent a request to Roche to purchase the medication for supply to these entities. The company buys one box of Tamiflu for 383,400 VND, adding a 5% cost, resulting in a retail price of approximately 403,000 VND per box, with no profit margin.

On the afternoon of November 3, discussing the supply of Tamiflu, pharmacist Nguyen Tien Hung, Director of Vimedimex, a distributor for Roche, stated that the current shortage of Tamiflu is artificially created. Currently, Vimedimex has 10,000 boxes (equivalent to 100,000 pills) in stock.

However, since the afternoon of November 2, the company decided to temporarily stop selling Tamiflu to pharmacies due to market exploitation. The company’s selling price is only 403,000 VND, but the market has inflated it to 600,000-700,000 VND per box. According to pharmacist Tien Hung, if the company were to sell, it would be out of stock within a week. However, Tamiflu usage must be prescribed by a doctor; indiscriminate use is not permitted.

From November 4, Monitoring Tamiflu Sales

According to Cao Minh Quang, Director of the Drug Administration Department of the Ministry of Health, Tamiflu capsules have been registered for circulation in Vietnam since 2001. Therefore, the current ban on the sale of Tamiflu in pharmacies is impractical. However, the Ministry of Health will have to implement measures to curb the chaotic pricing situation in the market.

In the immediate term, today (November 4), the Drug Administration Department will issue an official letter to health departments requiring them to inspect the buying and selling of Tamiflu, strictly sanctioning pharmacies that arbitrarily increase prices, preventing citizens from being “robbed” unreasonably. However, Mr. Quang also cautioned that the rush to purchase and stockpile Tamiflu is entirely unnecessary.

The Ministry of Health is committed to importing medications by any means necessary, providing free drugs to citizens in outbreak areas. Additionally, the ministry is negotiating with F. Hoffmann-La Roche to enable local production of Tamiflu in Vietnam. Mr. Quang further emphasized that the Ministry of Health has currently ceased granting import licenses for pharmaceutical companies in Vietnam to import Tamiflu, meaning that the Tamiflu available in the market now is stock imported before September.