MEDIA RELEASE PR35225
Vietnamese Drug Authority Teams with United States Standards-Setting Organization
ROCKVILLE, Md., June 30 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Good Quality Medicines for Public Health Strengthened by Agreement
As Viet Nam's industrial capabilities have developed rapidly in recent decades, government
officials have recognized the importance of helping to secure the nation's supply of medicines. In
an important milestone addressing this need, the Vietnamese Pharmacopoeia Commission (VPC)
has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP)
Convention. USP is a scientific nonprofit organization that sets standards for the identity and
quality of prescription and over-the-counter drugs that are enforced by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration in the United States. USP also sets standards for the identity and quality of food
ingredients and dietary supplements; these and USP's drug standards are used in more than 130
countries.
At a signing ceremony at the Institute of Drug Quality Control in Ho Chi Minh City, Roger L.
Williams, M.D., USP's chief executive officer, said, "I am delighted to work with colleagues here in
Viet Nam and elsewhere in Asia to help ensure the quality of medicines around the world."
Nguyen Van Tuu, Ph.D., chairman of the VPC, concurred: "Vietnamese regulators and
manufacturers look forward to working closely with USP to reach our shared goal of good quality
medications." An industry leader who witnessed the ceremony commented that the Vietnamese
pharmaceutical industry welcomes the collaboration between VPC and USP and is looking
forward to the benefits of this collaboration.
The MOU is focused on building a collaborative working relationship through such activities as
developing new and updated written standards; mutual testing of potential reference standards;
scientist exchange programs, joint participation in planning and policy meetings, and identifying
specific projects to improve drug quality that will benefit from the expertise of both parties. USP is
based in the United States and has offices and laboratories in Shanghai, China; Hyderabad,
India; São Paulo, Brazil; and an office in Basel, Switzerland. To further its mission to help ensure
good quality medicines and food ingredients throughout the world, USP has formed similar
partnerships with drug control authorities in these and many other countries.
For more information, please visit www.usp.org or e-mail mediarelations@usp.org.
USP-Advancing Public Health Since 1820
The United States Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention is a scientific, non-profit, standards-
setting organization that advances public health through public standards and related programs
that help ensure the quality, safety, and benefit of medicines and foods. USP's standards are
recognized and used worldwide. For more information about USP visit www.usp.org.
SOURCE: U.S. Pharmacopeia
CONTACT: Francine Pierson of U.S. Pharmacopeia
+1-301-816-8588
fp@usp.org
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