Iraq Opens 2 New Private-Sector Pharmaceutical Plants

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani inaugurated two private sector pharmaceutical plants for antibiotics (cephalosporin) and immunosuppressive drugs on Saturday, as part of the government's pharmaceutical localization program, which is a priority in the government's agenda.

The Prime Minister inspected the pharmaceutical plant operations, which rely on cutting-edge global technology from the Italian pharmaceutical company, IMA. He also met with the specialized scientific teams and reviewed the progress of a new cancer treatment drug facility, costing US$60 million, set to be completed in the coming months.

He said that pharmaceutical localization was a key priority, supported by providing facilities to private pharmaceutical producers, including loans and sovereign guarantees for launching pharmaceutical projects.

Al-Sudani highlighted that the antibiotic products from this pharmaceutical plant will cover around 25% of the country's needs, which is a significant step toward self-sufficiency. He stressed the importance of achieving drug security, stating that it is unacceptable for local pharmaceutical production to cover only 10% of the country's US$3 billion drug market.

The Prime Minister further explained that contracts for establishing pharmaceutical projects have increased by over 60% under the current government, marking a positive indicator for achieving production levels exceeding 80% within the next three years, especially for life-saving medications and expensive cancer drugs.

He also reaffirmed plans to establish a pharmaceutical industrial city.

Cephalosporin are life-saving antibiotics, and their production in all pharmaceutical forms will include:

12 million bottles of suspensions annually,
450 million capsules annually,
600 million tablets annually,
40 million injections (both intramuscular and intravenous) annually.