The Vice President of the Iranian Pharmacists Association says that importing medicine now is like a remedy after Sohrab’s death.
A field survey by a Khabar Online reporter in Tehran’s pharmacies shows that there is a shortage of antibiotics. Meanwhile, Pedram Pakayin, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, announced yesterday the import of 50 tons of various antibiotics. Seyed Ali Fatemi, Vice President of the Iranian Pharmacists Association, reacted to the import of medicine by telling Khabar Online:
Importing medicine now is like a remedy after Sohrab’s death. The government should have compensated by importing sooner.
They delayed this for two months, and two weeks ago, the Ministry of Health approved the emergency import of eight types of antibiotics. Now, for the antibiotics to enter the country, clear customs, and reach the people, it takes a long time. The drug shortage is mainly with domestic medicines and common drugs like cold syrup, cough syrup, fever reducers, and antibiotics that have been produced in Iran for years.
The main reason for the shortage is not the lack of raw materials, as many companies had the raw materials but did not produce because they had issues with the price of antibiotics. Previously, there was the 4,200 Toman currency rate, and the 9% value-added tax wasn’t a significant number. However, when the preferential currency was converted to the NIMA exchange rate, this 9% tax became a considerable amount, increasing the price of medicine by almost 15%.
Because of this, many companies couldn’t afford to buy raw materials at all. Recently, the Drug Manufacturers Syndicate stated that there are $600 million worth of raw materials in customs, but we cannot purchase them.