TEHRAN – Seventeen domestically-made medicines, containing high-tech drugs, will be exported to Russia, Mohsen Asadi Lari, director of international cooperation at the Ministry of Health, has announced.

Since last year, negotiations are underway with the Russian Ministry of Health for medicine trade, he said, adding that a meeting was also held in Moscow last week in this regard, IRNA reported on Tuesday.

The meeting was held on November 20, attended by deputy health ministers of Iran and Russia in line with the goal of cooperation and within the framework of a daylong seminar on the rules and procedures of registration of medicines and medical equipment in Russia.

There has been cooperation between the two countries for nearly five years in the field of medicine and medical equipment, he said, adding, Russia has a huge $20 billion drug market and Iran plans to expand cooperation with the neighboring country.

If companies reach an agreement on technology transfer, the production line could also be moved to the target country, for example, an Iranian pharmaceutical raw material production line started in Saint Petersburg three years ago, he highlighted.

He went on to say that entering the Eurasian health market can come beneficial for the country as Iran's quality of medicine and medical equipment will prove high-quality in the region, adding, the country's needs for pharmaceutical raw materials can also be met by attending these markets.

For the time being, Iran cooperates with Iraq, Lebanon and Tunisia in the health sector, he concluded.

Three years ago, Iran and Russia signed 15 documents, protocols and memorandums of understanding, focusing on the pharmaceutical and medical equipment sector. 
Also, Iran has launched a production line for manufacturing multiple sclerosis drug in St. Petersburg.

Deputy health minister Reza Malekzadeh said in July that 73 types of medicine produced by Iranian knowledge-based companies are being exported to other countries.

In late May, Hossein Vatanpur, an official with the Ministry of Health, announced that 52 Iranian knowledge-based companies export their products with value more than 70 million dollars.

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