Every year, 110 trillion rials ($3.9 billion at official exchange rate) worth of medicine are consumed domestically, 85 percent of which are covered by insurance, Ali Rabi’ee minister of cooperatives, labor and social welfare said on Saturday. As IRNA reported, he added that 90 to 95 percent of medicines prescribed for certain diseases such as cancer have insurance coverage, the minister said. Iran’s pharmaceuticals market is comprised of both imported and manufactured drugs while the majority of imported drugs are either high-tech medicine prescribed for certain diseases or drugs whose domestically produced generic equivalents are in short supply or of lower quality. Since western sanctions intensified against Tehran, Iran’s pharmaceutical industry has been among hardest hit sectors, as the country is heavily reliant on pharmaceutical imports to meet its needs.
