Documentation Needed for Any Claim of Drug Price Reductions / Examining Challenges in Supplying Antidepressants

Mohammad Hashemi, spokesperson for the Food and Drug Organization, announced disruptions in the supply of some antidepressants due to the suspension of direct flights from India and restrictions on shipment transfers. He said emergency imports and indirect routes have failed to fully meet the country's needs, and rising costs of imported drugs have added further pressure on patients.

Health news / Health system news

Mohammad Hashemi, the spokesperson of the Food and Drug Organization, announced the disruption in the supply of some anti-depressants due to the suspension of direct flights from India and restrictions on the transfer of cargoes, and said that urgent imports and indirect routes could not fully cover the country's needs. The increase in the cost of imported drugs has also put more pressure on patients.

According to Ambassador Arjan, Mohammad Hashemi, the spokesperson of the Food and Drug Organization, emphasized that any claim of providing drugs at lower prices requires expert review and the provision of technical and legal documentation, stating that this organization welcomes valid proposals but will not compromise the quality standards of drugs.

He also mentioned the challenges faced in providing some anti-depressant drugs due to the restrictions of transporting cargo from India, and announced the efforts to solve these problems and continuous monitoring of the market situation.

Referring to the claim of the possibility of supplying all kinds of medicine, including the medicines needed by certain patients, at 10-20% lower prices, Hashemi said: the proposal to supply medicine at a lower price can be examined by an expert if valid documents are presented; But simply announcing lower prices, that too in cyber space, does not prove the possibility of supplying the drug with the claimed conditions and will not in any way lead to neglecting or shortcoming the legal, technical and quality requirements of the drug.

He added: The evaluation of this proposal requires the provision of a detailed list of drugs, manufacturers' specifications, country of origin, representative documents or supply contracts, valid pre-invoices, final price, payment terms and delivery time. Also, price comparison should be done for the same items and considering similar business conditions.

The spokesperson of the Food and Drug Organization emphasized the necessity of verifying the authenticity and quality of drugs and clarified: the validity of legal licenses, the possibility of stable and timely supply and compliance with the requirements of transportation, storage and supply are also among the main criteria of the review; Especially in the case of medicines needed by certain patients, which are particularly important to have access to.

Hashemi also said about the claim of several months of follow-up and its lack of results: We invite the person making such claims to provide the documents of the follow-ups, correspondence and official requests and details of the drug supply proposal to the specialized authorities of the Food and Drug Organization for expert review, so that while reviewing the follow-up process, the feasibility of the proposal and its compliance with legal, technical and quality requirements can be evaluated.

He emphasized: The Food and Drug Organization welcomes documented and reliable proposals to improve the drug supply process and reduce costs, and if the legal, technical and economic conditions are met, the possibility of using the proposed capacities will be investigated.

The spokesperson of the Food and Drug Organization further explained about the supply situation of some neuropsychiatric drugs, especially tricyclic antidepressants: most of the neuropsychiatric drugs, especially tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), are in the psychotropic group or the green group under the supervision of the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), and India is one of the most important suppliers of these items in the world.

He explained: After the start of the Ramadan war in March 1404 and the stoppage of direct flights from India to Iran, the transportation of cargo related to these drugs was limited. Also, the refusal of the Indian side to send these cargoes with Iranian planes made the supply process more difficult.

Hashemi added: Urgent imports and the use of indirect routes have been able to cover part of the country's needs, but these measures have not been enough to fully meet the needs. On the other hand, the higher cost of imported drugs has put additional pressure on patients.

In the end, he emphasized: the supply situation of these drugs is continuously monitored and necessary measures are being taken to remove existing restrictions and improve their sustainable supply process.