Iran’s medicine imports increase by 40 per cent

Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 3 By Umid Niayesh - Trend: Iran has imported 1,540 tons of medicine, worth $119 million during the last Iranian calendar month (October 23- November 22), which indicates an increase of 40 per cent in terms of volume and 23 per cent in terms of value respectively compared to the preceding month. According to the Iranian Custom Administration's latest monthly report released in December, Iran's medicine imports share three percent of country's total imports` value during the last Iranian calendar month. Iran imported 1,100 tons of medicine, worth $97 million during the Iranian seventh calendar month (September 23- October 23). The country has allocated $400 million for the importation of medicine, ISNA quoted the Syndicate of Iranian Pharmaceutical Importers' chairman, Nasser Riahi as saying in November. The figure could be increased to one billion dollars, he mentioned. Iran's Health Ministry official Hossein Ayati has said some 97 percent of Iran's required medicine is currently produced domestically. About 50 percent of necessary raw material for producing the medicine is imported, he added. Last year, some $1.7 billion was allocated to import medicine which is not produced inside the country, the official said. Iran has imported 16,000 tons of drugs worth $1.468 billion, during the last solar year (ending on March 21). Drug imports ranked tenth on Iran's last year imported goods list.