Drug

Leader Kim Jong Un has ordered North Korea's military to stabilise distribution of COVID-19 medicines in the capital, Pyongyang, in the battle on the country's first confirmed outbreak of the disease, state media said. Last week brought the North's first acknowledgment of an "explosive" outbreak, with experts warning it could wreak devastation in a country with limited medical supplies and no vaccine programme. Drugs procured by the state were not reaching people in a timely and accurate way, Kim told an emergency politburo meeting on Sunday, before visiting pharmacies near the capital's Taedong River, state news agency KCNA said. Kim ordered immediate deployment of the "powerful forces" of the army's medical corps to "stabilise the supply of medicines in Pyongyang City," it added. Although authorities had ordered distribution of national reserves of medicine, pharmacies were not well-equipped to perform their functions smoothly, Kim added, the agency said. Among their … [Read more...] about North Korea’s Kim orders military to stabilise supply of COVID-19 drugs

The isolated country, which has imposed a nationwide lockdown, is also increasing production of traditional Korean medicines used to reduce fever and pain, KCNA said, calling them "effective in prevention and cure of the malicious disease." A sweeping Covid wave, which North Korea first confirmed last week, has fanned concerns over a lack of medical resources and vaccines, with the U.N. human rights agency warning of "devastating" consequences for its 25 million people. At least 262,270 more people reported fever symptoms, and one additional person died as of Wednesday evening, KCNA said, citing data from the state emergency epidemic prevention headquarters. It did not specify how many people had tested positive for the virus. North Korea has so far reported 1,978,230 people with fever symptoms and 63 deaths, and imposed strict anti-virus measures. Factories are churning out more injections, medicines, thermometers and other medical supplies in the capital Pyongyang and … [Read more...] about N.Korea boosts production of drugs, medical supplies to battle Covid

Cuong was sentenced by the Hanoi’s People Court after being charged with "negligence that results in serious consequences". He is also forbidden from holding positions in the field of medicine for three years after finishing his sentence. Nguyen Minh Hung, former chairman of the management board of pharmaceutical firm Vietnam Pharma JSC, received 18 years in jail for "manufacturing and trading of counterfeit medicines for treatment or prevention of diseases". Hung had been sentenced to 17 years under the same charge at another trial over the case in 2019. His cumulative years to spend in prison will be 30 years, the maximum number of jail time for combined timed sentences in accordance with Vietnamese law. 12 others convicts related to the cases were also sentenced to between 2-20 years in jail. The sentences were the latest development in a counterfeit drug case involving Vietnam Pharma and the fake drug branded Health 2000 Canada. Cuong stands accused of violations that allowed … [Read more...] about Former deputy health minister jailed in fake cancer drug scandal

The court in central Nghe An Province on Friday handed out the sentence to Giang Seo Hoa, 33, and Vang Seo Su, 25, both residing in the province, for "illegally transporting narcotic substances." According to the verdict, on Jan. 17 last year, Hoa called Su on the phone to talk Su into a business of transporting meth from Nghe An to northern Lao Cai Province that borders China. The payment for the trip would be VND500 million. Hoa offered Su VND450 million. Su accepted the deal. After receiving VND30 million in advance, Su drove a car to an address in Nghe An’s Thanh Chuong District to pick up the meth, as instructed by Hoa. After receiving the drugs packed in six backpacks, Su drove away and was caught red-handed by police. In those backpacks, police seized a total 111 kilos of meth. Su and Hoa both admitted to the crime in court and asked permission to live. With meth becoming a substance favored by hard-partying youth, drug busts and convictions have been increasing … [Read more...] about Duo served death for transporting 100 kilos of meth

Farmers harvest clams in Bến Tre Province’s Bình Đại District. — VNA/VNS Photo Công Trí BẾN TRE — The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Bến Tre is expanding farming of some key fisheries products for both domestic consumption and exports. They include black tiger shrimps, white-legged shrimps, clams, river giant prawns, and tra fish. Nguyễn Minh Cảnh, deputy chairman of the province People’s Committee, said advanced breeding techniques would be used to increase yield, output and quality. They would also help adapt to climate change and protect the environment, he said. The province would develop linkages between small fisheries breeding establishments to create large breeding areas and also link them with businesses to ensure supply of inputs and outlets for their harvests, he said. Trần Văn Hùng, who has a four-hectare industrial shrimp farm in Bình Đại District’s Định Trung Commune, said he uses advanced breeding techniques and quality shrimp breed stock, buys feed … [Read more...] about Bến Tre expands farming of key aquaculture species

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration said on Friday it had approved Eli Lilly's injected drug tirzepatide, which has the brand name Mounjaro, to help improve blood sugar control in adults with type 2 diabetes. The FDA said Mounjaro, along with diet and exercise, improved blood sugar levels and was more effective than the other diabetes therapies with which it was compared in clinical studies. Mounjaro is designed to activate receptors for hormones involved in blood sugar control. It is administered by injection under the skin once weekly, with the dose adjusted as tolerated to meet blood sugar goals. Lilly reported last month that a late-stage trial of tirzepatide showed that it helped obese patients lose more than 20% of their weight, leading Wall Street to boost sales forecasts for the drug. Analysts currently project 2026 sales of tirzepatide to reach $4.7 billion, according to Refinitiv. Similar diabetes drugs include Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, which is also approved by … [Read more...] about U.S. FDA approves Eli Lilly’s treatment for type 2 diabetes

Pham Thi My Lien, president of GSK Pharma Viet Nam (right) receives an investment licence from the HCM City’s People’s Committee and Department of Planning and Investment at a ceremony held on May 11 in HCM City. — Photo courtesy of the company British global healthcare company GSK has launched its new legal entity in Viet Nam – GSK Pharma Viet Nam Company Limited (GSK Vietnam) – with an investment capital of US$200 million. For over nearly three decades, GSK’s representative office in Viet Nam has contributed to preventing and treating diseases in the country with its vaccines and medicines. The company said in a press release that it aims to deliver positive impacts on healthcare quality on more than one third of the Vietnamese population in the next three years. On May 11, it announced the establishment of GSK Vietnam to continue operating and growing sustainably and responsibly in the country. It targets becoming “one of the most innovative, best performing, and trusted … [Read more...] about British healthcare firm launches $200 million VN venture

ASEAN should be fully consulted in settling regional issues with respect to international law. Vietnam has called for more support for ASEAN’s central role in solving regional disputes and maintaining peace and security in the region in a transparent and constructive manner. Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the US-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, D.C.on May 13. Photos: VGP Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh shared the view in the US-ASEAN Special Summit held on May 13 in Washington, D.C., with the participation of ASEAN members’ leaders and the bloc Secretary General. Chinh expressed his hope that major countries and partners of ASEAN respect ASEAN’s central role, fully consult with ASEAN, respect international law, and contribute to peace, security, and stability in the region and around the world. In the meeting co-chaired by US President Joe Biden and Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Chinh said the 45-year of US-ASEAN relations have … [Read more...] about Vietnam calls for more support to ASEAN’s Centrality

The opening of Eisai's new office in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City The company’s new office is located in Saigon Giai Phong Tower, 432-438 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. Eisai Vietnam also signed an MoU with the Vietnam Neurological Association to increase access to diagnosis and improve the quality of treatment for the Alzheimer's community up to 2025. Eisai Vietnam is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Eisai Co., Ltd. – a leading global research and development-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan. Founded in 1941, Eisai Group currently has 46 companies and subsidiaries and more than 10,000 employees worldwide. Eisai's corporate philosophy is to think about patients and their families first and to increase the benefits that health care provides to address significant unmet medical needs. Eisai's corporate philosophy is to think about patients and their families first and to increase the benefits that health care provides … [Read more...] about Eisai Vietnam opens new office and enters strategic partnership

SEOUL -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Saturday that the spread of COVID-19 had put the country in "great turmoil" and called for an all-out battle to overcome the epidemic, while 21 new deaths were reported for a day earlier among people with fevers. North Korea made an unprecedented admission of its first COVID outbreak this week, after claiming no infections for more than two years since the start of the pandemic, but there was no sign a rigorous testing or treatment campaign was under way. Given North Korea's limited testing capabilities, the numbers released probably represent a small fraction of total infections, which could lead to thousands of deaths in one of only two countries without a COVID vaccination campaign, according to experts. The country's ruling Workers' Party met for an emergency meeting and heard reports of about 280,810 people being treated and 27 overall deaths since a fever of unidentified origins was reported starting in late April, KCNA … [Read more...] about North Korea’s Kim says COVID ‘great turmoil’ as 21 new deaths reported