30% of imported medicines are from U.S.
Head of Health Economy Commission of Tehran Chamber of Commerce Mr. Nasser Riahi says COVID-19 vaccine produced by two American companies will definitely arrive in Iran, saying that currently 30 percent of Iran’s monthly imported medicines are from the U.S. as one should consider this point that vaccine is not under the U.S. sanctions.
Speaking to ILNA, Riahi explained the latest development on imports of COVID-19 vaccine to Iran, saying that according to reports, two American COVID-19 vaccine producers have applied for getting a license for distribution of the vaccine and it is expected the vaccine to be distributed in the U.S. in a week.
He noted that the production of COVID-19 vaccine in India is in its last stages and some countries have pre-purchased the vaccine.
Riahi went on to say that except for the U.S. which does not follow the World Health Organization directives, other countries according to the directives of the WHO, are allowed to first vaccinate their health staff and three percent of their total populations and then gradually vaccinate the remaining population.
He said he is not optimistic Iranians to have access to the vaccine before the New Year (late March), reacting to some reports that Iran air navigation is getting ready for imports of the vaccine and said if it is true, he is not aware of it.
Riahi reiterated that issues like sanctions or transfer of money cannot hinder imports of the vaccine, noting that sanctions cannot be an obstacle for importing the COVID-19 vaccine.
He also said that in the condition that the country imports medicines worth 100m euros monthly, the expense of importing the COVID-19 vaccine is lower but one should not forget that the producers do not sell entirely the vaccine to any country.
He said the Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine is the cheapest one that each dose of it will cost around $4 while the vaccines produced by American companies will cost between 20 to 30 dollars per dose.
On the price of the China-made vaccine, Riahi said each dose of the Chinese vaccine may cost between 30 to 70 dollars.
END