Iraq aims to cover 70% of local medicine needs within two years

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraq’s pharmaceutical localization program is projected to cover 70% of the country’s domestic medicine needs within the next two years, Hamoudi Al-Lami, the Prime Minister’s Advisor for Industry and Development, announced on Monday (June 30, 2025).

Al-Lami stated that local pharmaceutical manufacturing is already seeing continuous growth, currently supplying 40% of Iraq’s needs, including some cancer treatments. He revealed that this will be significantly boosted by the opening of several new factories later this year, including three facilities specializing in drugs for cancer and blood diseases.

This industrial expansion is backed by strong government support. Al-Lami noted that Ministry of Health contracts for purchasing locally-made drugs have risen to 600 billion Iraqi dinars, driven by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani’s emphasis on public-private partnerships.

The strategy aims to achieve greater self-sufficiency in a vital sector, enhance healthcare security, and stimulate the national productive economy.

(Source: IraqiNews.com)