Da Nang (VNA) – The ASEAN Traditional Medicines andHealth Supplements Product Working Group (TMHS PWG) convened its 27th meetingin Da Nang city on May 18.
The event attracted more than 150 delegates fromtraditional medicine and health supplement management agencies and observers inVietnam and other ASEAN countries.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of HealthTruong Quoc Cuong said Vietnam has made substantial contributions to the foodand pharmaceutical industries as well as economic growth in ASEAN.
The growing number of health supplements andtraditional medicines has helped diversify the food and pharmaceutical market.Therefore, the harmonisation of domestic relevant regulations and standardswith those in the region and the world is among top priorities of theVietnamese Ministry of Health, he noted.
He added the ministry has actively taken part inASEAN working groups, including the TMHS PWG. It has drawn up guidelines ongood manufacturing practice (GMP) for health supplements basing on ASEANguidelines, and plans to have them compulsorily applied in Vietnam in 2020.
The 27th TMHS PWG meeting was an occasion forASEAN countries to learn more about the management and development of thehealth supplement and traditional medicine industry in the region, whileseeking coordination to fully tap the sector’s potential.
Cuong called for ASEAN’s investment andcooperation with Vietnam in the industry, thus helping Vietnamese people accessmore products with good quality and reasonable prices.
At the two-day meeting, participants are set toreview the working group’s performance and shared experience in ensuring foodsafety. They will also discuss the content of an ASEAN agreement on GMP inhealth supplement and traditional medicine production.
From May 15-17, representatives of regionalcountries convened a meeting on the ASEAN regulatory framework on traditionalmedicines and health supplements, a meeting on GMP in traditional medicine andhealth supplement production, and another also on traditional medicines andhealth supplements of the ASEAN Committee on Science and Technology.-VNA
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At the meeting (Source: VNA) 
