TEHRAN - Ebrahim Raisi, the President of Iran, has 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 on Sunday 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 a 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.