Baghdad – INA – Amna Al-Salami
The Pharmacists Syndicate confirmed today, Thursday, that the local pharmaceutical industry now covers a large part of the market’s need, and while it praised government support for its localization, it stressed that it would achieve self-sufficiency within 5 years and provide a large number of job opportunities for young people.
The union’s spokesman, Dr. Osama Hadi Hamid, told the (INA): “The government is leading a movement and a real program to localize the pharmaceutical industry that would provide Iraqi medicine with a high degree of efficiency and quality at reasonable prices compared to the imported one,” expecting that “Iraq will reach… Self-sufficiency in the pharmaceutical industry within the next 5-10 years.”
He added, “The program provided important facilities for the pharmaceutical industry sector that would provide a large number of job opportunities for young people in various specializations, including pharmacists, chemists, biologist, and others.”
He pointed out that “the process of operating national pharmaceutical factories requires a lot of effort, follow-up and continuous development. It also requires constant access to modern international technologies to bring the Iraqi product to a high level of quality and safety.”
He continued, “Currently available reports and statistics indicate that national laboratories currently cover a large percentage of the pharmaceutical market’s need in both the public and private sectors.”
He stressed that “national laboratories contribute to providing a good number of the required types of medicine, and some of them are classified as sensitive and life-saving medicine, such as chronic disease medicines, anti-cancer medicines, and others.”
He stated, “With the continuation of government support and the work of national pharmaceutical laboratories at the same current increasing pace, we expect that the national pharmaceutical industry sector will witness significant growth and a noticeable increase in the number of preparations produced and their various pharmaceutical forms and dosages, and we can see the Iraqi product returning to the forefront in the Arab and regional markets.”