Facing acute shortage of medicines due to UN sanctions, the Iranian health Ministry has expressed its keen interest to import certain essential medicines from India to meet the healthcare needs of its people.

This latest move by Iran is seen in the context of recent Indian delegation to Tehran. The delegation has been successful in gaining vital export business leads as the Indian embassy in Tehran had sent request letter to the Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) to intimate the pharma industry members to supply essential medicines to the already deprived healthcare sector of the country.

According to sources, it is understood the Iranian Health Ministry had expressed its interest to import some 28 different varieties of medicinal drugs ranging from tables, capsules, solutions and injectables of variable quantities from the Indian suppliers. Some of the major requirements among the ministry’s list include Mesalazine 500 mg, Nicotinic Acid 25mg & 100 mg, Thiabendazole 500mg, Thioguanine 40 mg and Valganciclovir 450 mg among tablets.  Amiodarone Hydrochloride 50mg/ml, Amphotericin B Liposome 50 mg, Gadopentetate dimeglumine 469mg/ml, Iopromide 300 mg/ml and Cefotaxime 500 mg @ 1000 mg, etc. the among injectables and solutions.

The officials at Pharmexcil revealed that, the export opportunity is a result of successful tour of recent Indian delegation to Tehran. In the event of recent UN sanctions against Iran, India had sent a 26 member delegation this December to explore the pharmaceutical export opportunities to Tehran.  The successful visit of the delegation has resulted in gaining fruitful export opportunity for the Indian Pharma Industry.

It is also learnt that for members who wish to export pharma products to Iran, the Iranian drug authorities have offered to exempt exporters from product registration hazels. But for companies having only CoPP certifications, the officials of Iran’s health Ministry would visit the sites before importing the pharma products. The Certificate of a Pharmaceutical Product (CoPP) is needed by the importing country when the product in question is intended for registration or renewal of registration.

For companies which are already holding product registration certificates with authorities like US FDA/ EDQM/ MHRA, apart from CoPPs, then the medicines will be imported without any site inspection.

Interested parties who wish to export pharma products to Iran can contact Bharat Babu, counsellor at Indian Embassy in Iran or can contact Syndicate of Iranian Pharmaceutical Importers at office@siphi.org.