Iranian scientists to produce 10 new biomedicines

Iran plans to produce 10 new biomedicines in the current Iranian year (started March 21), a senior official said in July. “We have produced 14 new-generation drugs so far and we will produce another 10 new medicines in the current year,” Head of Iran's Scientific Basij Organization Mahmoud Tavalayee told FNA on the sidelines of the 8th National Biotechnology Seminar in Tehran July. The 8th National Biotechnology Conference is being held concurrent with the Fourth National Bio-immunity Conference in Tehran from July 6 to 8. The conference is the biggest gathering of Iranian and international biotechnologists held biennially. More than 1,000 professors, researchers and students of different biotechnology-related disciplines and experts from foreign countries are present at the conference. A total 1,500 research articles in the form of speech and poster will be presented at the conference. Two symposiums titled ‘The Role of Food and Agricultural Biotechnology in Economic Epic’ and ‘The Role of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology in the Year of Economic Epic’ will also be held on the sidelines of the conference. Two accredited prizes have also been considered for praising the influential figures in the field of biotechnology. Iran has taken wide strides in science and technology, particularly in medical and medicinal fields, in recent years. Earlier this year, Iranian Deputy Health Minister for Research and Technology Mostafa Qaneyee announced that Iran will start mass-production of 10 new home-made biomedicines in the next few years. “These 10 drugs include medicines to treat cancer, infertility, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, MS, Crohn's disease, gout, hemophilia and diabetic ulcers and have applications in healing wounds and burns and blood production,” Qaneyee said. “A number of the mentioned medicines have applications as multipurpose drugs for treating diseases like cancer, as well as (diseases caused during) chemotherapy stages and hepatitis C,” he added. “The industrial and semi-industrial stages of producing the mentioned drugs will be gradually completed between the next 2 to 3 years,” Qanayee underlined.