According to several Syrian pharmaceutical factory owners, securing raw materials for pharmaceuticals continues to be a significant challenge for the Syrian pharmaceutical industry.
These factory owners confirmed that “large pharmaceutical companies in India are hesitant to engage with the Syrian market due to sanctions and generally prefer to work with companies in other countries.” This information was shared during a panel discussion on the pharmaceutical industry, organized by the Indian Embassy in Syria and attended by representatives from the Syrian Pharmacists Syndicate, the Chambers of Industry and Commerce, and an Athr Press reporter.
Dr. Hassan Dirwan, head of the Pharmacists Syndicate branch in Damascus, confirmed to Athr Press the difficulties of importing active pharmaceutical ingredients due to economic sanctions on Syria, as well as challenges with exporting, which have limited access to foreign currency needed to purchase these materials.
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Dirwan explained that while economic sanctions on Syria should not affect the pharmaceutical sector, Indian pharmaceutical companies remain reluctant to publicly associate with Syrian companies, prompting the Central Bank of Syria to work with the Indian government to ease these coercive measures.
Dirwan also noted that while precise import data is unavailable, India accounts for approximately 65% of Syria’s total pharmaceutical imports, with cancer medications, immunosuppressants, and vaccines being among the most significant products sourced from India.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Ayman Moulawi, Secretary of the Syrian Federation of Chambers of Industry, told Athr Press that the value of pharmaceutical imports from India has reached $9 million, a figure that continues to grow despite the challenging circumstances and sanctions that should not apply to the pharmaceutical sector. He emphasized that most of Syria’s pharmaceutical imports from India consist of raw materials for the country’s pharmaceutical companies.
It is also worth noting that India is one of Syria’s key suppliers of children’s vaccines, according to previous data released by the Ministry of Health.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
