NOURNEWS- A senior Iranian health official has hailed the country’s progress in the fields of medical science and pharmaceutical industry, pointing to the export of Iranian-developed medicines to 40 countries across the world.

Heidar Mohammadi, the head of Iran's Food and Drug Administration, said on Friday that a threefold increase in the export of Iranian pharmaceuticals bespeaks the country’s good interaction with the neighboring countries.

Speaking on the sidelines of the 2023 edition of the Iran Pharma Expo in Tehran, Mohammadi said the presence of representatives from foreign countries is one of the greatest achievements of the exhibition.

The three-day exhibition, which is hailed as one of the biggest pharmaceutical events in the West Asian region, wrapped up today.

“Iranpharma exhibition is a very good place to annually showcase and present the pharmaceutical capabilities of our country,” Mohammadi said, stressing that Iranian medicines are exported to 40 countries.

“This year, the exhibition was held with more splendor and reception, and fortunately, high-ranking officials of the country also paid good visits to the capabilities of our country’s pharmaceutical industries.”

According to Mohammadi, who is also the deputy minister of health, 427 Iranian and 282 foreign companies from 33 countries participated in this year’s exhibit. 

 “We hope to expand the access of the people of the region to quality medicines at the Group of Five (G5) meeting and in regional cooperation,” the official said, referring to an initiative that was launched in June 2005 by the Islamic Republic of Iran based on historical, geographical and cultural links and common health problems with three other regional states namely Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan.

WHO is also another member of the initiative, which aims to enhance and strengthen subregional cooperation between members. Tajikistan has also joined as an observer to the G5 mechanism, which bears the slogan of “joint work for solving joint health problems.”

Organized by the Iranian Pharmaceutical Industries Syndicate, and with the collaboration of the Ministry of Health, the Iran Pharma Expo is held every September, hosting manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical equipment and machinery, pharmaceutical printing and packaging, recombinant drugs, herbal medicine, food and dietary supplements, knowledge-based companies and pharmaceutical distributors.

The international event provides an excellent opportunity for showcasing the national potentials and capabilities of experts and industry professionals in the prolific world of pharmaceutical industries.