Iran's drug crisis deepens as U.S. sanctions and blockade drive shortages and price spikes

Iran's pharmaceutical sector is confronting a deepening crisis as U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade drive up import costs and limit supplies of both foreign-made and locally produced medicines. Officials say roughly 800 drug products are in short supply, including 90 deemed essential, and prices have jumped dramatically—for example, gabapentin up 220 % and insulin up to six times its previous level. The shortage has been aggravated by air strikes that destroyed about 44 pharmaceutical and medical equipment firms, killing or injuring roughly 50 workers, with Tofigh Daru among the hardest hit.

The company’s director of sales, Maryam Farahani, reports loss of research lines, data servers and specialized equipment, estimating a two-year, multi-million-dollar rebuild. While the government claims resilience and notes participation of bombed firms in a recent pharmaceutical exhibition, doctors warn that soaring costs and halted vaccine imports threaten public health, especially for vulnerable groups.