TEHRAN -- Iranian companies can produce 80 to 90 percent of pharmaceutical raw materials which are imported annually at the cost of around 600 million dollars, the vice president for science and technology Sourena Sattari said, IRNA reported on Sunday.

He called biotechnology accelerator centers as important places that support young entrepreneurs who have ideas about producing medicines.

“We hope that the new measure taken in the field of poultry and livestock would help decrease the country’s dependence regarding medicines and vaccines,” he added.

There is a good biotechnology ecosystem in Iran and there are powerful companies in this field, he explained.

He also pointed to the development of probiotics industries as one of the programs which are supported by the vice presidency.

Last week, biotech development center (BioDC) at the vice presidency for science and technology announced that eight human vaccines and 17 livestock vaccines will be produced by the end of the current [Iranian calendar] year (March 19, 2020).

By the year-end, 50 raw pharmaceutical materials and 14 biotech medicines will be also manufactured, the production of which, will save the country $375 million and create 830 new jobs.

Among all 18 main vaccines for humans in the world, eight are produced inside the country and the rest are imported but the number of vaccines Iran produces for the livestock only fulfil a quarter of the country’s requirements.

There are currently 140 biomedicines in the global market, of which, 21 items are available in Iran. Although, out of all these 140 medicines, only production of 50 of them are economically justified in Iran; that is, some medicines are more necessary in certain areas because of the high prevalence of some diseases or the environmental parameters.

In July 2018, Sattari announced that Iranian startups meet 98 percent of the domestic market’s need to biotechnology medicine.

According to economywatch.com, the benefits of biotechnology in medicine are without doubt staggering. Although many exciting developments have taken place in the past few years, with continuing research, it is expected that more and more revolutionary procedures, substances, and devices will be developed to improve and enhance human life.

SB/MG