`Buying, selling, and using the antiviral drug molnupiravir in contravention of prescription regulations is a serious violation of the provisions of the Pharmacy Law and has the potential to adversely affect people’s health and reduce the effectiveness of epidemic prevention and control.`

This proposal was made by the Ministry of Health after the Drug Administration of Vietnam received feedback that some pharmacies in Ho Chi Minh City sell molnupiravir without a doctor’s prescription.

Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health is also strengthening inspection of Covid-19 treatment drug trading activities, checking the distribution, dispensing, and use of molnupiravir;

A representative of FPT Long Chau, the owner of the Long Chau pharmacy system – the first pharmacy chain to sell monulpiravir, said on the afternoon of March 24 that `there is no situation of selling drugs without a prescription`.

Molnupiravir is produced at Boston Vietnam Company – one of the first three enterprises licensed by the Ministry of Health to produce this drug.

Molnupiravir is a prescription drug, urgently licensed by the Ministry of Health, sold on the market from February 23, with the condition that it is a prescription drug and must have a doctor’s prescription.

On March 5, the Ministry of Health proposed that the Prime Minister allow the use of videos of people recording themselves during the rapid testing process at home as a basis for purchasing the drug molnupiravir, to relieve overload on the medical system.

Molnupiravir is indicated for Covid-19 patients aged 18 years and older with mild to moderate severity and at least one risk factor for severe disease progression, according to instructions from the Ministry of Health.