Ministry of Health supports knowledge-based businesses

TEHRAN – The development of knowledge-based enterprises active in the health and biotechnology sector is one of the important programs of the Ministry of Health, said the Deputy Minister of Health responsible for research and technology.

Basic research and development related to health and biotechnology should be on the agenda in order to meet the needs of the health sector, ILNA said on Friday citing Younes Panahi.

Currently, 1,492 products have been produced by knowledge-based companies and the annual turnover of these companies is 40 trillion rials (almost 952 million dollars at the official rate of 42,000 rials), which can play an effective role in national and international arenas, he said.

There are 778 research centers, 15 research institutes, 24 research networks, 93 technology centers, 12 technology parks and around 1,400 knowledge-based companies are active in the health fields in the country, he added. .

Knowledge companies in the medical sector

Iranian companies producing medical equipment export their products to 54 countries around the world, Es’haq Ameri, deputy health minister responsible for medical equipment and supplies, said in November.

Around 1,400 knowledge-based companies are active in the health sector in the country. In 2018, the National Directorate of Medical Devices reported that the Iranian medical equipment market was worth $ 2.5 billion, of which 30 percent was owned by more than 1,000 domestic companies.

Globally, 56% of the 500,000 items of medical equipment available in the global market have Iranian versions. In the pharmaceutical sector, around 70% of Iran’s $ 4.5 billion markets are domestic products, and as of 2018, 97% of pharmaceuticals consumed in the country were manufactured locally.

In 2018, 67% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to produce drugs in Iran were made locally.

According to the vice presidency for science and technology, 227 knowledge-based companies are providing medical equipment to health centers across the country.

Imports of pharmaceuticals fell 91% in Iran, showing the capacity of the country’s pharmaceutical industry, Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, said on October 11.

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, noting that the development of the COVID-19 vaccine indicates the capacity of the pharmaceutical industry.

FB / MG

Maria J. Book