Azerbaijan, Baku, July.23/ Trend R.Zamanov
Some $60 to $70 million worth of medicine are currently stuck in the customs, Iran's Drug importing union chief, Nasser Riahi said on Tuesday, the ISNA News Agency reported.
The customs administration doesn't release the medicine, Riahi said, adding that the medicine may get expired.
"Money supply is currently the medicine-importing companies' main problem," he added.
Acting Chairman of the Majlis Health and Medicine Committee, Abdal Rahman Rostamian, said earlier this month that the shortage of medicines cannot be denied.
He further said that the storage of the medicines in customs is one of the important factors that are affecting the drug shortage.
He also added that action must be taken for the immediate release of medicines from customs, as the shortage of these drugs is leading to an unprecedented rise in prices.
Shargh daily reported on July 17 that medicine import volume has increased by 300 percent during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad`s two-term presidency (2005-2013).
Iran's drug import increased by 900 percent since March 21, 1997, meanwhile drug production in same period increased by 500 percent, the report said.
According to the report Iran has imported some $276 million (Based on USD rate at 4,780 rials in Iran's open market during the same year) worth of drugs in 1997, which this figure reached to $2.357 billion (based on USD rate at 14,000 rials) in 2011.
Currently semi-state owned organizations share is 70 percent in pharmaceutical industry, while the drug importer companies are two times more than drug producer companies in number, the report said.
Statistics of Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education shows that about 89 pharmaceutical industry companies were active during 2011, while some 123 companies were involved in importing drugs in this year.
Some 85 percent of 13,000 Iranian pharmacists worked in drugstores, and less than 6 percent have served in country's pharmaceutical producing industry.
Iran has imported 16,000 tons of drugs worth $1.468 billion, during the last solar year (which ended on March 21).
Drug imports ranked tenth on Iran's last year imported goods list.
During the first month of the current solar year, drug imports reached $34.3 million which is 54.7 percent less compared to the last period. However, Iran is still the world's biggest drug importer.
The decrease in the medicine imports took place, while the demand has not decreased in the domestic market.