Tehran, Iran, November 1
By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:
Iran has begun exporting vaccines and serums, Trade Director at Razi Vaccine and Serum Institute Qasem Maqsoudnejad said.
Pointing out that the company's products are of a high enough quality to export, he noted that the UK has recently expressed its willingness to purchase anti-snakebite venom from the company, the Fars news agency reported November 1.
Each shipment of anti-snakebite venom earns the country as much as five barrels of oil, he added.
Maqsoudnejad further said that in the past six months agreements have been struck to export human and livestock vaccines to Syria and Iraq.
The first consignment of anti-snakebite venom, worth $150,000, was exported to Iraq and there is continuing demand from there, he stated.
He also said Uzbekistan is interested in ordering livestock vaccines from Iran.
Additionally, the company will soon be exporting livestock vaccines to Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan, as well, Maqsoudnejad said.
He noted that the company also produces enterotoxaemia, theileriosis, and bronchitis vaccines.
Iran has been improving its medical industry by tapping domestic capabilities, as international sanctions have isolated it from the global community.
In the past few years, many Iranian patients suffered from shortage of drugs because of the sanctions.