TEHRAN – Iran attended the World Health Organization’s consultative sessions on developing a draft of a new traditional medicine strategy as the only representative from West Asia.

The event took place from November 27- 30 in Geneva, Switzerland, IRIB reported.

Arman Zargaran, Iran's advisor to the traditional medicine office at the Ministry of Health, participated in the event at the invitation of the WHO headquarters in Geneva.

The International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines Unit of WHO, WHO-IRCH, invited 20 experts in the field of traditional medicine from all over the world to develop a draft of traditional medicine strategy for the period 2025-2034.

The invited experts were from China (3 representatives), Australia, Canada, Switzerland, (2 representatives each), Iran, Malaysia, England, South Korea, South Africa, Ghana, Norway, Thailand, Philippines, Brazil, and India (1 representative each).

Within 3 days of intensive work, the entire initial draft was reviewed in the presence of Rudi Eggers, WHO Director of Integrated Health Services, and Kim Sungchol, head of the WHO Traditional Complementary and Integrative Medicine Unit.

The rest of the work will be carried out remotely by the volunteer representatives after the end of the sessions based on the determined issues.

Zargaran assessed the level of the meetings as very high and the discussed topics of fundamental importance for the future integration of traditional medicine in the health system of the member countries of the World Health Organization.

He also considered the presence of Iran in this meeting as the only representative from West Asia to be important both from the point of view of Iran's global reputation in traditional medicine and also as a unique opportunity to apply the viewpoints of Iran and Iranian medicine in preparing the most important universal draft of traditional medicine strategy.

It should be noted that WHO’s current document of traditional medicine strategy (2014-2023) has been extended until 2025, and the document being written will be reviewed for approval after its finalization in the upcoming General Assembly of the World Health Organization.

Iran holds 40% share of regional market

Iran holds some 40 percent share of the market for medicinal plants in the neighboring countries, an official with the Ministry of Health said on October 31.

“A large volume of pharmaceuticals, supplements, food products, and beverages are exported to Iraq, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, and Afghanistan,” IRNA quoted Hamidreza Banafsheh as saying.

Iran is among the leading countries in the field of medicine and health technology, supplying 98 percent of pharmaceutical items to the domestic market, the official noted.

“Nearly 450 out of 1,400 knowledge-based companies are active in the field of herbal medicines, biotechnology, and food industries.”

He went on to say that the National Institute for Medical Research Development aims at expanding exports of medicinal products.

Since most of the raw materials for the production of herbal medicines are native to the country, these products can internationally compete with those of the other countries, he added.

Besides, some 15 to 20 percent of Iran's herbal medicines are unique in the world. Iran has the capacity to introduce new herbal medicines to the world, he highlighted.

Producing and commercializing pharmaceutical plants are the best ways to introduce the rich resources of herbal medicines which, in addition to making foreign currency revenues for the country, will lead to the scientific authority of Iran in this field, he concluded.

Medicinal plant exports can be increased

According to the chairman of the Union of Medicinal Plants Exporters of Iran, the country’s export of medicinal plants can be increased through meeting world standards.

Mohammad-Ali Rezaei Kamal-Abad stated that world standards are increasing due to the health-oriented consumption of herbal products, and failure to comply with these standards will lead to the return or destruction of these products.

“In the past years, poisons have entered the country, which is not only not used in other countries, but has also caused water and soil pollution in our country”, he lamented.

Referring to the importance of agricultural product export standardization, he added: “Standardization is done in our country, but this standardization is not up-to-date. With the coordination of ministries, expenditure and updating of information can help to standardize agricultural products and develop the export of these products”, he commented.

He said that having more than 11 climates out of 13 climates, Iran has 8,000 varieties of medicinal plants, which is at least twice as much as Europe.

MT/MG