Playing with People's Lives with the Import of Low-Quality Medicine; Rare Heart Medications with Limited Expiration Dates

Restrictions on the supply and access to medicine in Iran are increasingly affecting a wider range of individuals, and in cases where the government claims to provide and import medicine, reports indicate that patients receive nothing but low-quality drugs. The website 'Khabar Online' reported that vital medication for heart patients has become 'rare' and the drugs available in pharmacies have 'limited expiration dates,' with those imported from India and Turkey being 'low-quality.' According to a pharmaceutical expert quoted by the website, 'The expiration dates of the warfarin available in pharmacies are approaching, and it is not worth it for patients to spend money on it.' A media activist also wrote on their social media account: 'Warfarin pills are considered an important, vital, and irreplaceable medication, and they have been unavailable for almost six months! Is there no health reporter here to investigate what’s going on? If there is a plan for mass extermination of heart patients underway!' The drug shortage has been a contentious issue since last year, and in May of this year, Voice of America reported on the complex dimensions and widespread scope of this shortage, interviewing some activists in this field in Iran. In this context, a pharmacist residing in Tehran told Voice of America that since last December, no foreign currency has been allocated for procuring raw materials for medicines or medical equipment. He emphasized that due to the lack of currency allocation, shortages have manifested in all drug sectors, and even the provision of simple medicines has encountered problems. Another pharmacist from Tehran told Voice of America that currently vital medications, including the heart drug amiodarone, Plavix for preventing blood clots usually used after a heart attack, and inhalers for asthma and bronchitis, are also unavailable. The issue that Voice of America addressed in May is now reflected in Iran's domestic media, with the shortage of heart disease medications becoming headline news. In this regard, Mohammad Taheri, a pharmaceutical expert, told 'Khabar Online' that 'sulfasalazine pills, methotrexate injections, methimazole pills, vinblastine injections, and warfarin pills are not available in the country's pharmacies.' According to this expert, 'The problems of drug shortages endanger patients' health.' The Khabar Online website also pointed out that 'drugs are available in some pharmacies but have limited expiration dates indicated on the drug packages.' Shahram Kalantari, the head of the Iranian Pharmacists Association, confirmed this issue, stating that 'warfarin pills are available in pharmacies with an expiration date of December 2023, which makes purchasing them not very useful for patients.' Media reports also emphasize that 'drug imports are generally conducted from India and Turkey. Unfortunately, we see that these items do not meet the expected quality or have specific problems that led to recalls.' However, the drug shortage is an issue that the government is unwilling to acknowledge, which has also led to positions taken by members of parliament. In this context, a member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly stated in November of this year that despite the government's claims of everything being 'rosy' in the healthcare sector, especially in the pharmaceutical field, there is a shortage of '300 items' of medicine in Iran. Yahya Ebrahimi, a member of the Health and Treatment Commission of Parliament, said on Friday, November 5, to the 'Eghtesad 24' website that over 300 items of medicine 'are lacking in pharmacies,' but the government refuses to accept this and keeps saying that 'everything is rosy,' while the reality is not like that. Senior officials of the Islamic Republic, especially Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, have always promised to resolve healthcare crises, especially the 'drug shortage,' promises that have not only not been fulfilled but have reportedly worsened over time according to domestic sources. Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic government and official media in Iran have repeatedly attributed problems in the healthcare and medical fields to sanctions. This is while, contrary to these claims, medicine and medical items have always been exempt from the sanctions imposed against Iran and have had 'exceptions' for procurement and import. Annually, 55,000 cancer patients die in Iran; a 43% increase is predicted. Management crisis in Iran; baby formula is smuggled by renting out newborns' identities. The dark days for 'special and hard-to-treat' patients; only 25% of diseases are covered. Over 400 pharmacists gathered in front of the Khorasan Razavi governorate. A member of parliament: We have a shortage of 300 items of medicine, but the government says 'everything is rosy.' The heavy burden of treatment in Iran; annually, 9% of household income is spent on healthcare.