The Indian Government will help Vietnam to produce a certified HIV/AIDS drug in the near future, said Director of the Department for HIV/AIDS Prevention under the Health Ministry, Dr. Nguyen Huy Nga.

Ms Nga said that Vietnam is already capable of producing the antiretroviral (ARV) drug for treatment of the fatal disease, but the amount is adequate for only about 2,000 HIV-infected people.

The Vietnamese Government is mulling over permits for domestic pharmaceutical companies to produce the HIV/AIDS drug. It is calling for foreign medicine producers to sell their ARV production patents to domestic companies.