Iranian pharmaceutical officials, warning of an escalating medicine shortage crisis, have stated that stocks of hundreds of medicines in the country have fallen to below one to three months. At the same time, the director-general of drugs and controlled substances at the regime’s Food and Drug Organization announced that the country’s pharmaceutical system is in “the worst possible condition” in terms of foreign currency and rial funding.
Akbar Abdollahi-Asl, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting held on Sunday, December 7, with the Association of Pharmaceutical Distribution Companies, said that out of roughly three thousand medicines on the country’s official list, 195 have less than one month of stock, 360 have less than two months, and 270 have less than three months.
He said this situation could be dangerous, meaning that nearly 800 medicines awaiting the allocation of foreign currency and rial funding are at risk of shortage in the coming months.
He added that among essential hospital medicines, at least 21 items are experiencing shortages, and 56 additional essential non-hospital medicines are also on the shortage list.
The director-general added that strategic medicine reserves are typically maintained during stable periods to prepare for unstable times, but at present, the country’s pharmaceutical system is “in the worst possible condition in terms of currency and rial resources.”
This is not the first time reports have emerged about medicine shortages, liquidity crises, and the failure to secure the foreign currency required for drug imports in Iran.
In one of the latest examples, on December 6, Amin Afshar, head of the Iranian Hemophilia Society, said: “Imports of some vital medicines for hemophilia and coagulation disorder patients have stopped, and for certain items we have now reached the end of emergency reserves.”
On November 26, Mehdi Pirsalehi, head of the Food and Drug Organization, also announced that due to currency shortages and disruptions in foreign exchange resources, the supply chain for medicine and infant formula has entered a crisis.
Severe liquidity crisis
Alongside the currency crisis, pharmaceutical industry representatives at the December 7 meeting described a severe liquidity shortage as another factor threatening medicine supply.
Ebrahim Hashemi, chairman of the Board of the Association of Drug and Supplement Distribution Companies, said the entire medicine supply chain is under “extremely difficult financial conditions,” and that outstanding payments owed to distribution companies by the pharmaceutical market had reached about 1.57 quadrillion rials (approximately USD 1.308 billion) by late November.
Hashemi added that pharmacies and distribution companies have not received a significant portion of their payments from insurance organizations and government entities: “More than 310 trillion rials (approximately USD 258.3 million) of these claims relate to medical universities, and the total government debt—including social security, the Red Crescent, and insurance entities—has reached about 470 trillion rials (approximately USD 391.66 million).”
He warned that if these resources are not provided, the production and import of essential medicines will face serious difficulties.
The loss of strategic medicine reserves
Shahram Kalantari, head of the regime’s Pharmacists Association, said about 70% of medicine distribution in the country is carried out by the private sector, but insurance organizations collectively owe nearly 400 trillion rials (approximately USD 333.3 million) to private pharmacies.
He added that every currency fluctuation imposes about 400 to 500 trillion rials (approximately USD 333.3 to 416.6 million) in losses on these pharmacies, and therefore their purchasing power and ability to restock medicines are rapidly diminishing.
According to him, in recent months the shelves and storage rooms of pharmacies have become “emptier,” and strategic medicine reserves are effectively being depleted.
These warnings come amid months of reports pointing to increased pressure on patients due to medicine shortages and soaring drug prices.
On November 16, Ahmad Aryaeinejad, a member of the Health Commission of Iran’s regime parliament, said that due to the high cost of medicine and doctor visits, many low-income individuals are forgoing medical care and medication, and are forced either to live with their illnesses or turn to herbal remedies.
