Iran Produces Anti-Cancer Drug to Neutralize US Sanctions

An Iranian scientist has managed to produce an anti-cancer drug whose scarcity, caused by the US sanctions, had created problems for the country in the recent months.

Iranian Health Ministry earlier announced that the anti-cancer drug called Busulfan cannot be provided for the patients in the country.

However, Dr Nader Norouzi, a faculty member at the Urmia University of Medical Sciences, has now succeeded in making the drug with a high degree of purity using a simple method.

According to ISNA, the drug, which is exclusively produced by the United States and France, is one of the most expensive anti-cancer medications, which can now be mass-produced inside Iran.

“The Ministry of Health asked the academic centres to produce a total of 160 essential medicines including Busulfan. Thank God after months of efforts, the drug, which is used to treat chronic Leukemia, was successfully produced,” said Dr Norouzi.

Dr Norouzi also said that the price of this drug last year was about 150 USD, but now the price can drop significantly while it is not just produced by some particular countries anymore; therefore, people should not worry about the drug at the time of sanctions.

For a more detailed review of Iran’s achievments in various fields of science and technology, check the book “Science and Technology in Iran: A Brief Review”, released by the Science and Technology Department of the Iranian President’s Office.

The US reinstated sanctions against Iran’s oil and banking industry on Monday, following its withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and pledges that Washington will place maximum pressure on Iran.

Humanitarian supplies are formally exempted from sanctions, but the banking sanctions practically deter any kind of trade with Iran.

In 2011, the last time the US was tightening anti-Iran sanctions, Washington’s pressure led to severe shortages of life-saving medicines and food staples, as foreign banks and companies were avoiding transactions with Iran for fear of being penalized.

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