Sanctions are a platform for development, production in Iran: FDA Head
Tehran (IP): Head of Food and Drug Administration of Iran (FDA) Mohammad Reza Shanesaz delivered a speech during a ceremony to honour the manufacturing capabilities of the Iranian pharmaceutical industry and medical equipment and said sanctions is a platform for development.
Iran Press/ Iran News: Honoring ceremony of manufacturing capabilities of the Iranian pharmaceutical industry and medical equipment kicked off this morning at the Holy Defence Conference Hall in Tehran with the attendance of the Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education Saeed Namaki, the Head of Food and Drug Administration of Iran (FDA) Mohammad Reza Shanesaz and Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari.
During this ceremony, Mohammad Reza Shanesaz said: "In 2019- 2020 (1398 on Iranian calendar) we had a remarkable decrease in the rate of foreign currency used in purchasing of pharmaceutical drugs."
The Iranian official also noted this successful trend is because of a change in the dedicated amount of imports and the production of drugs. During the previous years, we dedicated 60 percent to import and 40% to production; but this year we changed it, 40% to import and 60% to production.
He further noted that "In the past, we used Euro currency; but now we do business with eastern currencies. By increasing the pressure after imposing sanctions against Iran, the self-sufficiency process has increased too."
Shanesaz went on to say: "Some medical equipment are produced by Iranian engineers and scientists which are based on the most advanced technologies. Some of them have been exported to various countries as well. War and sanctions could have played the role of a barrier to development, but now we have used them as an opportunity for development and production."
"Many companies that have imported drugs from abroad in the past, today have become pharmaceutical manufacturers at home," Shanesaz concluded.
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