WANA (Jan 31) – Iranian researchers have successfully developed a domestically produced biosimilar for multiple sclerosis (MS), ensuring a stable supply of the medicine and reducing foreign currency spending by €750 million, the Ministry of Health announced.

 

Shahin Akhoundzadeh, Deputy for Research and Technology, spoke at a press briefing on Iran’s research achievements. He noted that despite the Ministry of Health accounting for 52% of research activity in the country, it receives only 12% of research funding.

 

Akhoundzadeh highlighted challenges including sanctions affecting scientific publishing, internal decision-making obstacles, and limited international collaboration.

 

He also warned that Iran’s global scientific ranking, currently 17th, could fall to 18th and stressed the need for increased resources to achieve the Seventh Development Plan’s research goals.

 

The ministry oversees around 500 journals, 70% of which are internationally indexed, and is promoting medical AI research, training specialists, and retaining talent.

 

Akhoundzadeh praised the medical community’s response to recent crises and highlighted the MS biosimilar as a major achievement that secures patient access while significantly cutting costs.

Iranian Researchers Climb World’s Top 2% List . Social media/ WANA News Agency