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August 26, 2021

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health Issues List of Substances Prohibited from Use in Health Supplements

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The Ministry of Health of Vietnam recently issued Circular No. 10/2021/TT-BYT dated June 30, 2021, stipulating the list of substances prohibited from use in the production and trading of health supplements (“Circular 10”). Circular 10 will come into effect on September 1, 2021.

Accordingly, substances found on the following lists will be prohibited from use in health supplements:

  1. The list of drugs and drug materials prohibited from importation and production found in Annex V of Decree No. 54/2017/ND-CP of the Government dated May 8, 2017, guiding the implementation of Law on Pharmacy (Decree 54).
  2. Lists promulgated with Decree No. 73/2018/ND-CP of the Government dated May 15, 2018, stipulating the list of narcotic substances and precursors, including:
  • List I: Narcotic substances banned from use in healthcare and daily life, the use of which for analysis, testing, scientific research, and criminal investigation is subject to permission by competent authorities.
  • List II: Narcotic substances restricted from analysis, testing, scientific research, criminal investigation, or healthcare as regulated by competent authorities.
  • List III: Narcotic substances permitted in analysis, testing, scientific research, criminal investigation, healthcare, and veterinary medicine as regulated by competent authorities.
  • List IVA: Essential precursors involved in forming the structure of narcotic substances.
  1. The list of narcotic active ingredients found in Annex I of Circular No. 20/2017/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health, detailing articles of the Law on Pharmacy and Decree 54 related to drugs and drug materials under special control.
  2. The list of toxic drugs and toxic drug materials under Circular No. 06/2017/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health dated May 3, 2017.
  3. Lists under Circular No. 42/2017/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health dated November 13, 2017, stipulating the lists of toxic herbal materials, including:
    • Annex I: List of toxic herbal materials of plant origin.
    • Annex II: List of toxic herbal materials of animal origin.
    • Annex III: List of toxic herbal materials of mineral origin.
  4. A list of 80 additional chemical substances included as an Annex to Circular 10, including 1-3-dimethylamulamine, sildenafil, betamethasone, etc.
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