TEHRAN –Iran has succeeded in producing cell therapy products which have received the Food and Drug Administration's approval.

“Some gene therapy products are also in the clinical trial phase,” IRNA quoted the FDA director, Mehdi Pirsalehi, as saying.

Referring to the country’s scientific progress in the pharmaceutical sector and Iranian scientists’ capabilities, the official highlighted the significance of developing modern techniques and utilizing artificial intelligence in the pharmaceutical industry.

About 99 percent of the medicine supplied to the domestic market is produced by Iranian knowledge-based companies. They have also been successful at manufacturing biotechnology products using indigenized technology, to meet the needs of the country,” Pirsalehi added.

Medicine exports increase

In the first half of the current Iranian year which started on March 20, 2024, the country exported medicines worth $104.6 million, an increase of 19.7 percent year on year.

The exports amounted to 49,400 tons in volume, showing a 15 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Customs Administration.

Some 345 companies have been involved in producing medicines, supplements, and raw materials, as well as importing pharmaceuticals in the six-month period of time.

Pharmaceutical companies have imported a total of 54,800 tons of commodities worth 1.1 billion dollars, indicating a 3.76 percent decrease in amount and a 4.5 percent increase in terms of value compared to the same period last year, IRNA reported.

In June 2024, Seyyed Ali Maboudi, an official with the Food and Drug Administration, said the FDA is developing a plan to increase pharmaceutical exports by 30 percent in the mid-term.

“In the past years, medicine exports in Iran accounted for a small share of non-oil exports. However, over the past year, it experienced a growing trend,” IRNA quoted Maboudi as saying.

The official went on to point out that the exports of raw materials and pharmaceutical products over the past Iranian calendar year (March 2023-March 2024) were valued at more than 100 million dollars.

“The Food and Drug Administration is planning to double the medicine exports in the short term and tenfold in the long term,” the official added.

Given the impacts of drugs on the health of society in all countries, they are one of the most complicated types of goods to export as they require registration and quality approvals in each destination country, Maboudi stressed.

MT/MG