World Class PICs Standard and Vietnamese Pharmaceutical Product Quality

Although one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical markets in recent years, Vietnam has no impact in world markets as most domestic pharmaceutical companies do not satisfy international pharmaceutical standards like PICs-GMP, EMEA, or USFDA.

 

But there’s good news. Vietnam will be able to produce pharmaceutical products that will follow the PICs International standard of quality, thanks to United International Pharma or UIP, who has invested in their second factory in Vietnam in VSIP II in Binh Duong province, one of the countries sprawling and modern industrial parks.

 

PICs-GMP, which stands for Pharmaceutical Cooperation Scheme, is known as an international quality standard agreed by 41 member developed countries which they have applied to their system and process in their pharmaceutical manufacturing. Besides familiar standards like Europe’s EMEA, US’s FDA and WHO-GMP, pharmaceutical companies have recently aligned with PICs which is similar to, if not even advanced than the EMEA and USFDA. In fact, even the USFDA is considering aligning to the PICs standard since it is chosen by many developed countries and would be advantageous if a common standard for importing and exporting between the members would be adhered to, so that the quality of medicines is consistent among the member countries.

 

As the first factory complying with PICs, UIP has to satisfy various strict quality requirements to produce PICs-standard medicines. UIP expects to initially export 20 percent of its products to developed countries adhering to PICs worldwide, and to countries around Vietnam. The export helps Vietnam raise its pharmaceutical product image in developed and underdeveloped countries. Moreover, UIP’s complying with PICs also helps its familiar products like Decolgen, Atussin, Nutroplex, Alaxan, Obimin, Ceelin, Clazic, Lifezar, and the rest of its 30 brands… acquire more trust from Vietnamese consumers who in turn benefit from the high quality and affordability of these products. UIP’s new PICs factory also encourages domestic pharmaceutical companies to heighten their quality standards to cope up with competition. This will greatly benefit Vietnamese consumers who need more and more medical products to improve and protect their health.

 

Vietnamese government has many long-term plans to attract investment on pharmaceutical industry which improves people’s lives. UIP – a member of Unilab Group of Companies, an organization with vision, mission and values focusing on improving health for as many people as possible – aims to provide affordable quality pharmaceutical products to as many countries they can reach. Currently the Unilab group of companies is in 16 countries in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. This was the vision of its founder JY Campos when he founded Unilab in the Philippines, when he was 24 years old, and developed the business into a multinational company, one of the biggest in Asia.

 

Nurturing that very vision, Unilab Group of Companies has invested US$40 million to construct the second factory in Vietnam which is also the thirteenth in the region. With support from the Vietnamese government, the factory was finished in a record time of 16 months. “The factory is proof of the close cooperation between UIP and the Ministry of Health, medical and commercial community, as well as shareholders and employees,” said Mr Benedicto Caleda, UIP’s General Director.

 

At the UIP opening ceremony, Minister of Health’s representative announced the decision to give a certification of merit to UIP for their contribution in improving the healthcare of citizen’s. The Ministry of Health awarded Unilab and UIP’s representative the certification to encourage UIP, in particular, and more pharma companies, in general, to contribute more to people’s health and the robust growth of Vietnam’s pharmaceutical industry. 

 

A new PICs factory means a new stage of cooperation between UIP and Vietnamese people, more employment for local Vietnamese workers, transfer of technology since the new factory is a collaboration between Vietnamese, Filipino, Singaporean, Thai, Japanese and American entities, and added impetus between Filipino and Vietnamese government bilateral ties with the aim of improving people’s health by providing more and more quality pharmaceutical products at affordable prices. With the common components in their vision, mission and values, UIP and the Vietnamese government looks forward to closer cooperation for a healthier and wealthier Vietnam.