Mehdi Pirsalehi, the head of the Iranian regime’s Food and Drug Administration announced a 30% increase in the price of 370 types of medicine, stating that, compared to the country’s inflation rate, “the absolute figure is not very high.”
According to the state-run Tasnim news agency, Pirsalehi also reported shortages of certain types of infant formula in the country. He explained that one reason pharmacies are reluctant to distribute infant formula is the low profit margin and the months-long delay in receiving payments from insurance companies.
This Ministry of Health official emphasized that out of approximately 3,800 types of medicine, 370 have increased in price. He noted that some injections that previously cost 60,000 rials have now risen to 190,000 rials (with 1 USD equaling approximately 820,000 rials). Meanwhile, the minimum monthly wage for a worker with two children in Iran is around $135.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of the Iranian regime, speaking at a conference of university and medical school presidents, acknowledged the issue but failed to present any solutions for improving healthcare in terms of workforce, medicine, or equipment. He stated, “Experience has shown that part of the foreign currency allocated for importing medicine and its subsidies gets lost. With this distribution method, justice cannot be achieved.”
Pezeshkian stressed that it is evident healthcare resources do not reach deprived areas.
Meanwhile, experts have increasingly warned of a worsening crisis in the pharmaceutical sector, predicting that medicine shortages will soon become one of the biggest problems for patients.
In this regard, Salman Eshaqi, a spokesperson for the Health Commission of the Iranian parliament, warned on December 22, 2024, that the number of critically scarce medicines had reached 116. He urged the government to take action, warning that if no measures were taken, shortages could increase tenfold by the end of the year.
Eshaqi stated, “At this rate, medicine shortages will multiply by ten by the end of the year, putting public health at serious risk.”
On October 20, 2024, the chairman of the Syndicate of Human Pharmaceutical Industries of Iran warned in a letter to the Minister of Health that the alarm for future medicine shortages had already been sounded. He urged the ministry to separate the budget for medicine and medical equipment from other hospital revenues.
Iran’s pharmaceutical industry, like many other industries, suffers from issues such as currency exchange rates, shortages of foreign currency and liquidity, delayed allocation of foreign exchange, numerous domestic and international difficulties in importing raw materials, unpaid debts from the government, and, ultimately, frequent power outages that halt production.
