Iran’s socio-economic development such as urbanization, modernization and emergence of a young, educated and internationally oriented society have all paved the way for significant shifts in the market.  One of the sectors that have been influenced through the mentioned changes is the pharmaceutical sector.  In this specific sector, government policies which focus on prevention as opposed to cure have also been instrumental in developing the market and generating opportunities.

The above mentioned report has been prepared to function as an initial analysis of the market potential, challenges and opportunities for foreign and domestic companies.   An in-depth review of the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry in Iran, its main stakeholders, as well as legal and regulatory issues of the industry is presented.  Furthermore, the report includes concise information on the pharmaceutical market, including the size of imports and exports, its trends, the distribution channels, an analysis of its key players, as well as key requirements for entering this market. 

Table of Contents

1           General Country Information

1.1                     Iran Geography and Demographics

1.2                     Iran Economic Indicators

1.3                     Iran Healthcare Facilities and Standards

2           Overview of Iran’s Pharmaceutical Industry

2.1                     Brief History

2.2                     Present Situation

2.2.1                       Iranian Pharmaceutical Companies Listed on TSE

2.3                     Key Sector Stakeholders

2.3.1                       Government Stakeholders

2.3.2                       Local Companies

2.3.2.1        Darou Pakhsh Company

2.3.2.2        Farabi Pharmaceutical Company

2.3.2.3        Exir Pharmaceutical Company

2.3.2.4        Pars Darou Company

2.3.2.5        Jaber Ebne Hayyan Company

2.3.2.6        Cosar Pharmaceutical Company

2.3.2.7        Rooz Darou Pharmaceutical Company

2.3.2.8        Alborz Darou Company

2.3.2.9        Sobhan Darou Company

2.3.3                       Key Shareholders

2.3.4                       Foreign Companies

3           Iran’s Pharmaceutical Market

3.1                     Pharmaceutical market Import and Export

3.2                     Distribution Channels

3.2.1                       Pharmaceutical Distributors

3.2.2                       Naser Khosrow

3.3                     Important Trends

3.3.1                       The Trend of Pharmaceutical Products Subsidies in Iran

4           Policies and Plans

4.1                     Legal and Regulatory Aspects

4.2                     Future Plans

4.3                     Privatization in the Pharmaceutical Industry

4.4                     The Way Forward For The Iranian Government

5           Opportunities and Challenges

5.1                     Significant Market Characteristics

5.2                     Challenges

5.3                     Suggest Market Entry Strategies for Foreign Companies

5.4                     SWOT Analysis on Strategic Options

5.5                     Notes on Potential Local Partners

5.5.1                       Brief SWOT Analysis of Top Iran Pharmaceutical Companies

5.5.2                       Brief SWOT Analysis of Tamin Pharmaceutical Investment Company or Similar entities

5.6                     Key Strategic Suggestions

5.7                     Further Actions to Prepare for Entry

6           Appendices

6.1                     Appendix 1: List of Foreign Companies Represented by Local Importing Companies

6.2                     Appendix 2: List of Major Pharmaceutical Products Importers

6.3                     Appendix 3: List of Pharmaceutical Distribution Companies

6.4                     Appendix 4: Organizational Chart of Ministry of Welfare and Social Security

6.5                     Appendix 5:     Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Act (FIPPA)

6.6                     Implementing Regulations of FIPPA

7           List of Graphs, Tables and Charts

7.1                     Map of Iran

7.2                     Chart 1: Iran’s Demographic Profile (based on 2006 Census Figures)

7.3                     Table1: Macroeconomic Indicators of Iran

7.4                     Chart 2: Iran’s GDP Distribution

7.5                     Table 2: Number of Hospitals and Health Centers in Iran with Number of Available and Active Beds in Each Province

7.6                     Table 3: Medical Human Resources in Iran

7.7                     Chart 3: Number of Pharmacies in Iran Based on Province

7.8                     Table 4: Iranian Pharmaceutical Companies Listed on TSE

7.9                     Chart 4: Organization Chart of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education

7.10                 Table 5: Market Share of Iran’s Major Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Companies in 2005/06

7.11                 Table 6: Major Iranian Companies Representing Foreign Producers

7.12                 Table 7: Import and Export of Pharmaceutical Products in Iran