TEHRAN –About 99 percent of the medicines needed for the country are produced by domestic companies, the head of the Food and Drug Administration has said.

During the coronavirus pandemic and despite shortages and sanctions, we were able to prevent a drug shortage crisis by relying on domestic production, IRNA quoted Heidar Mohammadi as saying on Tuesday.

Medicine exports

In September, Mohammadi said Iran has tripled exports of medicine with the pharmaceutical products being exported to 40 countries across the world.

Mohammadi made the remarks on the sidelines of his visit to the 8th International Exhibition on Pharmaceuticals and Related Industries IRANPHARMA EXPO 2023.

“The increase in medicine exports is a sign of Iran's good interaction with neighboring countries. We hope to develop the access of the people of the region to quality medicine at the G5 summit and regional cooperation," ISNA quoted Mohammadi as saying.

The Eighth International Exhibition of Pharmaceuticals and Related Industries (IRANPHARMA EXPO 2023) was held at Imam Khomeini Grand Campus (Mosala) in Tehran, during September 27-29.

A total of 427 domestic companies and 282 foreign companies from 33 countries participated in Iran Pharma Expo 2023.

Mohammadi considered the presence of foreign countries as one of the biggest achievements of the IranPharma Expo.

He pointed out Iran Pharma exhibition is an excellent opportunity for showcasing the national potentials and capabilities of experts and pharmaceutical industries.

On August 13, Mohammadi said exports of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment grew by 300 percent in the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (started on March 21), IRNA quoted.

Last year, some 1,060 trillion rials (about $2.1 billion) worth of medicine and medical equipment were manufactured inside the country, he added.

Around 99 percent of the medicine supplied to the domestic market is produced by Iranian companies, he highlighted.

Iran plans to increase the exports of medicine to around $200 million in the current year from some $60 million last year, Mohammadi said in April.

Currently, the production of medicine, medical equipment, and powdered milk is supported by subsidies. So, their exports were very limited, but it is hoped that their exports will increase next year, he explained.

Referring to the shortage of 100 drug items in the country, he said: “Currently, nearly one and a half percent of the country's pharmaceutical need is imported. Along with domestic production, it is done as soon as the domestic production meets the demand.”

A total of 227 knowledge-based firms are supplying medical equipment for health centers across the country, according to the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology.

Iranian-made pharmaceuticals are currently exported to Canada, Japan, and Europe, Faramarz Ekhteraei, chairman of the Iranian Pharmaceutical Industries Syndicate said, emphasizing that 72 percent of the country's pharmaceutical raw materials are domestically produced.

Some 40 percent of the country's total pharmaceutical exports are biotechnology products, a member of the board of directors of the Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Medical Biotechnology Products said.

Consistent supply of medicine

On January 16, President Ebrahim Raisi called for drawing up strategies to guarantee a long-term supply of pharmaceuticals and avoid seasonal shortages in the country.

Speaking at a meeting of the administration's Economic Coordination Headquarters in Tehran, Raisi urged the Health Ministry and other relevant organizations to develop comprehensive plans to progressively meet the public's demand for medicine and prevent seasonal and short-term shortages of pharmaceuticals.

The president also emphasized the need to subsidize medicine and lower the cost of medical care.

Speaking at the meeting, Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said the scarcity of a small number of medications that developed in the early fall has been alleviated. Einollahi also stated that Iran's drug stocks are in good condition.

Raisi stated in December 2022 that Iran's ability to produce 95 percent of its required medications may transform the country into the region's pharmaceutical powerhouse.

Restrictions on medicine supplies

In December 2022, Reza Najafi, the deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, slammed the steps taken by certain nations to impose restrictions on the supply of medicine to other countries, calling such a ban “illegal, barbaric, and disgraceful.”

The statement was made during a speech given at the high-level meeting of the Group of Friends of Neutrality for Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development, which was hosted by Turkmenistan. 

“Countries placing restrictions on the supply of medicine are, in effect, using pharmaceuticals and medical equipment as a weapon against patients, which is utterly unlawful, barbaric, and disgusting,” Najafi said in describing sanctions as a type of “economic terrorism”.

The Iranian diplomat added that the use of unilateral coercive measures, such as sanctions, is one of the destabilizing factors undermining global peace and security. 

These actions not only blatantly violate human rights but also impede the economic and social advancement of their target nations, he added.

Such unilateral coercive measures are reckless, a flagrant breach of international law, and go against the fundamental tenets of international humanitarian law, he said.

MT/MG