An electronic trading floor for pharmaceuticals, the first of its kind in the country, will open at the end of this month as part of an initiative by the Vietnam Pharmaceutical Production and Trading Association (VPPTA).

The site www.santhuoc.vn is expected to attract domestic and foreign businesses operating in pharmaceutical production, import, export and distribution, as well as equipment manufacturers and services involved in pharmaceutical production.

According to the President of the VPPTA Do Van Doanh, the new trading site should stimulate domestic consumption and promote local pharmaceutical products while creating better conditions for local and foreign businesses to launch joint projects.

At present, there are nearly 1,000 businesses registered to trade in pharmaceuticals. Thirty percent of them are foreign and operate from representative offices.

At present the domestic pharmaceuticals industry is capable of meeting only 50 percent of local demands, however it plans to meet 60 percent of domestic demand in 2010 and 70 percent by 2015./.