In a bid to improve the results of drug rehabilitation, Vietnam has been testing the use and production of Cedemex, a locally-made herbal detoxification medicine.

The Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs is coordinating with local scientists to evaluate the efficiency of the new type of addiction medicine, a representative said during a conference in the central city of Da Nang on Monday.

Test results have shown that the rate of rehab success after six months of Cedemex is 38 percent and after one year is 27 percent.

Although the outcome sounds promising, the production of the medication has faced many challenges due to its high cost and limited support from the state, the representative continued.

Cedemex is produced from 17 different kinds of herbs, mainly used to cut out cravings.

It is different from methadone, a medicine used as a non-addictive substitute drug.

Statistics from the Ministry of Public Security revealed that there are about 210,750 drug addicts in Vietnam, of whom only 31,000 are being treated at rehab centers.

The number of drug users and related crimes has also been increasing rapidly.

Synthetic drugs, which can cause paranoia and lead to potential crimes, have become more favored by addicts over heroin.

Although methadone has been widely used to treat drug abuse across the country, the method has proved so far ineffective, creating the need for a new type of medicine.

Reports during the conference also disclosed that the country has around 15,000 sex workers.

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