TEHRAN – With the vast participation of domestic and international pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers in the 10th IranPharma Exhibition, the first international event in the health sector after the 12-day war in June, the expo has turned out to be a magnificent symbol of health diplomacy and international communication of the country.

Known as the largest specialized pharmaceutical event in Iran, the event kicked off on September 24 and came to an end on September 26.

Pharmaceutical companies from Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, England, France, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, the United States, Italy, Japan, Peru,  Spain, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates were among the participants in the three-day exhibition, IRNA reported.

Compared to earlier years, the number of visitors to the 10th exhibition increased by 30 percent.

Currently, over 140 thousand individuals are operating in the pharmaceutical industry of the country. In the Iranian year 1403 (March 2024-March 2025), the amount of medical exports rose by 16 percent in comparison to a year earlier, and in the first five months of the current Iranian year (started on March 21), the figure has increased by 11 percent compared to the same period last year.

Hosted by the Iranian Syndicate of Pharmaceutical Industries at the Grand Musalla in Tehran, the event attracted 373 domestic and 370 international companies, associations, and related organizations.

This year’s edition was held with the theme “Sustainability, Resilience, and Innovation.” It served as a great platform for domestic companies to examine challenges, make an effort to address problems in pharma manufacturing, showcase export capabilities, attract investment in innovative areas, and foster ties through holding joint meetings and signing agreements with foreign companies, such as Indian and Chinese delegations and manufacturers.

Side events such as expert panels, business meetings, book exhibitions, and student tours attracted significant attention, as every year.

According to Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi, the issue of medicine and medical equipment production and self-sufficiency in these areas is one of the government’s priorities.

Medicine and medical equipment are two important areas related to people’s health, he said, adding: “We are trying to reach self-sufficiency for the supply of medicine and medical equipment,” IRNA reported.

On January 13, the head of Iran’s Union of Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Exporters said that medical equipment worth around $20 million is exported to more than 60 countries annually.

More than 70 percent of medical equipment and 100 percent of normal hospital beds are domestically made, IRNA quoted Abdolreza Yaqoubzadeh as saying.

Also, over 95 percent of specific ICU and CCU beds and more than 85 percent of operating room medical equipment, such as anesthesia machines and other equipment, are manufactured with cutting-edge technology in the country, he added.

Yaqoubzadeh went on to say that the country’s need for medical equipment production is three to four billion dollars per year, some one billion dollars of which is imported.

Some 600 medical equipment companies are active in the country, producing around 99 percent of the medicine supplied to the domestic market.

Medical equipment manufacturers in the country produce and supply over 10,000 types of medical equipment to domestic and foreign markets. Now, various pieces of laboratory equipment are manufactured at prices much lower than the same foreign products.

MT/MG