He added that support for the knowledge-based companies is one of the important policies of the Iranian government in conditions of sanctions.
“At present 5,500 knowledge-based companies are active in the country which have created 300,000 direct jobs for specialists,” Sattari said.
In October, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on the country's knowledge-based companies to help the government in supplying raw materials for production of medicine.
The knowledge-based companies can try to produce the pharmaceutical raw materials, some of which need to be imported from other countries, President Rouhani said, addressing a ceremony to inaugurate national scientific and technology projects in Tehran, Alborz and Markazi provinces via video conference.
He said that if about $1.4 billion of raw materials are imported now, $400 million of that can be domestically produced.
Rouhani said it is very important to be able to produce medicines, and expressed the hope that Iran would be able to export the vaccine for cervical cancer.
Also, Head of Iran's Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz announced in August the country’s self-sufficiency in production of drugs, and stressed the capability to produce any type of medicine.
“Today, 97% of our needed drugs and many hi-tech medicine are produced inside the country. For instance, we are capable of producing biological drugs, biomedicine and nano drugs and they are produced sufficiently inside the country,” Shanehsaz said in a press conference in Tehran.
He added that 65% of raw materials to produce drugs are also supplied domestically (Source: FN).
Iranian High Tech Products Are to Be Exported to EAEU
