Food and Drug Organization: India Refuses to Send Medicines on Iranian Aircraft

The spokesperson for the Food and Drug Organization said the Indian side refused to ship pharmaceutical consignments on Iranian aircraft, making the supply process more difficult.

Mohammad Hashemi, the spokesperson of the Food and Drug Organization, said: The proposal to provide drugs 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.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, 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: 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 40-day 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.

According to the announcement of the Food and Drug Organization, Hashemi added: urgent import 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 the process of their sustainable supply.