TEHRAN – The World Health Organization should support Iran for registering vaccines that have been produced by relying on domestic capabilities even under sanctions, Deputy Health Minister Mohammad Hossein Niknam has said.

“Iranian people were grappling with problems as a result of unilateral U.S. sanctions on medicine and medical equipment, finding it difficult to provide coronavirus vaccine. So, they embarked on producing the vaccine domestically,” Niknam said, addressing the First World Conference Fighting COVID-19 Pandemic Health Challenges, which is underway from March 26-28 in Belgrade, IRIB reported.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has pledged to expedite the process of evaluating and registering Iranian vaccines to receive an emergency use license, appreciating Iran's efforts to develop vaccines against the global pandemic.

He made the remarks during a meeting with Kazem Gharibabadi, the Judiciary’s deputy chief for international affairs and secretary of Iran’s Human Rights Headquarters, on the sidelines of the 49th session of the Human Rights Council, which was held from February 28 to April 1 in Geneva.

“Iran’s high progress in the health system and the expansion of health network coverage throughout the country has increased the rate of vaccination.

The high rate of vaccination in Iran, as well as the inoculation of foreign refugees, are among other good public control measures that have stabilized the country’s health condition,” he stated, IRNA reported.

Referring to the impact of U.S. sanctions on drugs and medical equipment, he said that humanitarian items should be exempted from economic sanctions so that we will take the necessary steps in this regard.

He also promised to speed up the process of registering domestically produced vaccines in Iran.

Gharibabadi for his part explained the most important measures in health coverage, achievements in the field of pandemic control and vaccination, increasing life expectancy, reducing child mortality, number of active hospitals and beds, universities, and medical schools, considering these developments under harsh sanctions.

He further pointed to the negative effects of sanctions on the right to life and the right to health of children and patients, especially specific or rare diseases, and highlighted that the humanitarian exception are merely claims on paper and in practice, access to medical items and equipment needed for patients was not available, especially during the outbreak of COVID-19, and this policy is a continuation of a blatant violation of human rights.

Meanwhile, WHO representative to Iran Jaffar Hussain said in September 2021 that the Organization was collecting the necessary information for the registration and certification of Iranian-made coronavirus vaccines.

On January 28, the process for global registration of the Iranian-made “COVIRAN Barkat” vaccine started by holding a virtual meeting with the World Health Organization officials.

COVIRAN is the first vaccine in West Asia that is in the process of global registration, IRIB reported.

According to a new study, the effectiveness of the COVIRAN vaccine in fighting the coronavirus has been more than foreign rivals, namely Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, and Sputnik.

MG