WANA (Sep 30) – The spokesperson for the Health and Treatment Committee of Iran’s Parliament has announced that Iranian researchers have developed a cancer drug previously manufactured only by Israel and, to a limited extent, the United States.

 

Salmān Esḥāqi stated that public concerns about the implications of the “snapback” mechanism on the health sector are legitimate, emphasizing that officials must move beyond “rhetoric” and deliver tangible results. “As long as people do not see the outcomes in practice, their concerns will remain justified,” he noted.

 

According to Esḥāqi, Iran now possesses “remarkable scientific capacities” in pharmaceutical research, enabling the imminent unveiling of a cancer drug that had been monopolized by foreign producers. He described this achievement as a sign that Iranian scientists have entered into a direct global competition with established players in the field.

 

Referring to the pressures of sanctions, he argued that if the financial resources currently used to bypass restrictions and import medicine were redirected toward empowering domestic researchers, the impact of sanctions on the pharmaceutical sector could effectively be neutralized.

 

Esḥāqi further claimed that the quality of the Iranian-made drug could ultimately “surpass existing foreign versions,” underscoring the potential for the country not only to produce the medication but also to improve on its global counterparts.

 

While technical details, clinical data, and the specific name of the drug have yet to be disclosed, the announcement highlights Iran’s ambition to achieve greater self-sufficiency in critical medicines and position itself within the advanced pharmaceutical landscape despite ongoing international constraints.