MoH and AstraZeneca expand health partnership

The new relationship will last until 2028 at least, and cover many critical areas in health in Vietnam

AstraZeneca Vietnam and the ministry (MoH) on March 8 signed an MoU to deepen their long-term partnership and strengthen collaboration to comprehensively enhance healthcare for the Vietnamese people.

The expanded partnership, to last until 2028, will see comprehensive cooperation between the two parties in the areas of disease prevention and control, pharmaceutical research and development (R&D), manufacturing, and sustainable health system development.

The signing event was officiated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, MoH Deputy Minister, as well as several leaders and representatives of the MoH. The ceremony was also joined by British Ambassador Iain Frew, Swedish Ambassador Ann Måwe, Leon Wang, international EVP of AstraZeneca, and Sylvia Varela, the company’s Asia vice president, as well as other representatives of embassies and AstraZeneca.

Wang said, “The recent pandemic and climate change have highlighted the importance of protecting and building resilient and sustainable health systems, which is a common goal requiring the cooperation of public-private, intersectoral and multinational partners. Our team here and across the world remain committed to building a sustainable future with Vietnam, and the MoU today is a historic milestone on this meaningful journey.”

Nitin Kapoor, chairman and general director of AstraZeneca Vietnam, added, “Following the guidance of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh at his meeting with AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot last May, we are pleased to launch this holistic partnership to start a new chapter in three decades of collaboration between the MoH and AstraZeneca. We appreciate the continued support of the ministry and look forward to joining hands to improve patients’ lives and help Vietnam’s health sector become more equal, effective, and globally integrated.”

Following the new MoU,

AstraZeneca will advance both ongoing and new programmes in collaboration with the MoH and healthcare partners to promote disease awareness, prevention, and early detection. These include the Healthy Lung Programme to improve the diagnosis and management of asthma, lung cancer, and more; the Young Health Programme to help youths build a healthy lifestyle and prevent non-communicable diseases; and the CAREME initiative to transform the cardiovascular-renal-metabolic care ecosystem.

AstraZeneca is working closely with health authorities and partners to bring medicines and vaccines to Vietnam to protect people from infectious diseases. This follows the more than 72 million doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine that were delivered to Vietnam during the pandemic, helping to prevent over 232,000 deaths and accelerating the country’s economic recovery.

AstraZeneca’s contributions throughout the pandemic have been recognised with two certificates of merit from the prime minister and minister of health, as well as a friendship medal from the president of Vietnam.

In addition, AstraZeneca’s $310 million investment over the current decade, which includes $90 million for tech transfer and local contract manufacturing of medicines, as well as partnerships with various hospitals on clinical research, will help Vietnam to enhance biopharmaceutical R&D as well as production capabilities in the country.

AstraZeneca is currently a pharmaceutical industry leader in terms of clinical research in Vietnam, with close to 60 ongoing studies at over 50 hospitals, with the participation of more than 4,000 patients.

AstraZeneca is also cooperating with the World Economic Forum, London School of Economics, and the MoH’s Health Strategy and Policy Institute for the partnership for health system sustainability and resilience to comprehensively reinforce the Vietnamese health system and prepare it for future challenges.

Moreover, AstraZeneca has also collaborated with the MoH and the British government to donate solar power systems to district health facilities, contributing to protecting the environment and providing a stable source of electricity through green energy. In the coming years, the two sides will further strengthen cooperation in this area to help Vietnam reduce the impact of climate change.

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