MS patients and the exorbitant costs of MS have long been the concern of the authorities, we have good news for them, the Iranian medicine for MS has become cheaper.
Deputy Minister of Health and head of the Food and Drug Organization announced that the price of the Iranian drug “interferon beta” for MS patients has decreased.
On the sidelines of the closing ceremony of the first MS art cultural festival held last night in Milad Tower, Dr. Rasool Dinarvand said: Patients who used to spend between 50 and 90 thousand tomans for the preparation of “interferon beta” medicine from Saturday (today) They will spend between 25 and 45 thousand tomans.
He announced that about 30 thousand MS patients use this drug and added: The production of this drug in the world has three formulations, and all three mentioned formulations are prepared in Iran.
The head of the Food and Drug Organization continued: Patients who receive the Iranian type of medicine are supported by 95% of the Ministry of Health and insurance organizations.
Dinarund stated that some doctors prescribe foreign medicine despite the fact that Iranian medicine does not have any problems and meets the needs of patients, and added: The number of patients using foreign medicine is less than 8 thousand. According to their formula, the insurance organizations cover the foreign medicine up to the price of the Iranian medicine.
The head of the Food and Drug Organization said: The Ministry of Health spent 100 billion Tomans last year to support these patients in order to reduce the pressure on patients using foreign MS drugs. Although 100 billion Tomans is a significant amount of subsidy to support patients, unfortunately, the out-of-pocket payments for MS patients are also high and they have to spend an average of 600 thousand Tomans every month for the purchase of foreign medicine for MS.
Advising doctors not to prescribe foreign drugs for MS, Dinarund said: prescribing these drugs is expensive for both the Ministry of Health and the patients. By prescribing internal medicine, doctors can prevent many patients from worrying about getting medicine.
He pointed to the domestic production of an oral medicine for MS, which is considered the most effective medicine for the treatment of this disease, and pointed out: This medicine is produced inside the country and is currently undergoing quality control. I hope that this effective oral medicine will enter the pharmaceutical market of the country by the end of 2019.
