Iran and Iraq will develop the market for health products
TEHRAN – Iranian Health Minister Bahram Einollahi and Iraqi Industry Minister Manhal Aziz discussed the creation of a common market for health and medical products.
During a meeting on Saturday, the two officials discussed the creation of a market for health and medical products, stressing the need to create a joint exhibition of local products.
“We need common products in both countries. Therefore, we can use them in the required fields by exchanging medicines and medical equipment,” Einollahi said.
Inappropriate rules and obstacles to the development of cooperation should be removed and speed up the work process in customs and licensing, he said.
Cooperation between the two countries in the production of medicines and medical equipment can meet the needs of regional markets.
He went on to note that both countries must try to stand their ground. Iran has been sanctioned for years and pressure has increased during the coronavirus pandemic, he added.
Buying each other’s products creates jobs as well as prosperity in production and business and activates the common market between the two countries, he said.
Iraq is a priority for economic cooperation, he added.
Aziz also expressed his willingness to strengthen cooperation in this field, noting that his country welcomes industrial cooperation with Iran.
Iraqi companies produce 10% of the country’s drugs and the rest of the drugs are imported, but the quality and price of drugs are important factors, he said.
Joint cooperation between the two countries in the production of medicines and medical equipment can meet the needs of the region, he added.
Increase in pharmaceutical and medical production
The import of pharmaceuticals has fallen by 91% in Iran, which shows the capacity of the country’s pharmaceutical industry, said Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, last October.
Today, all drugs used in the treatment of coronavirus are produced by domestic manufacturers, and if we wanted to import all the items, there would be a high exchange rate, he added, pointing out that the development of the COVID-19 vaccine indicates the capacity of the pharmaceutical industry. .
In 2018, 67% of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to produce medicines in Iran were manufactured locally.
According to the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology, a total of 227 knowledge-based enterprises supply medical equipment to health centers across the country.
Knowledge-based companies can produce any medicine that is effective against coronavirus or approved by the scientific committee within a week to 10 days, said Sourena Sattari, vice president for science and technology .
In January 2021, the Imam’s Order Execution Headquarters unveiled three crude pharmaceuticals and a new anti-coronavirus drug called ivermectin, which had previously been imported.
Additionally, Iran is capable of producing biopharmaceuticals, which have so far reached 28 items, making Iran the third largest country in Asia.
FB/MG
