| From 2009, generic drugs produced cheaply in Vietnam must prove they are equivalent to the patented medicines on which they are modeled, authorities have said.
The Vietnam health ministry's Pharmaceutical Department told a conference held in Hanoi Friday that generic drugs - or drugs modeled after patented, brand-name drugs but usually cheaper - would be obliged to test for bioequivalence prior to entering the market.
If two products are bioequivalent, they would be, for all intents and purposes, the same.
The department also said the ministry was planning to build two bioequivalence testing centers in Hanoi in the north, Ho Chi Minh City in the south, and Da Nang city in the central region.
Vietnam is set to formally join the WTO next year, meaning patented drugs will become much more expensive. Generic drugs are expected to be produced to replace the brand name drugs.
Bioequivalence testing would also be a prerequisite for export of generic drugs, the department said. | 
