Iraq partners with Saudi Arabia to modernize pharmaceutical oversight
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraq moved on Thursday to boost the quality of its medicines, launching a new cooperation project with the Saudi Quality Compliance Company to upgrade oversight and strengthen pharmaceutical manufacturing.
According to a statement from the Iraqi Health Ministry, the agreement was finalized under the supervision of Minister Saleh Al-Hasnawi, with senior officials and representatives of the Saudi Embassy and the company.
The ministry described the project as a significant step toward aligning domestic production with international quality systems. The Saudi consultancy will help modernize inspection mechanisms, enhance regulatory procedures, raise compliance with global quality standards, and provide the specialized technical staff outlined in the contract to support implementation within an integrated quality framework—measures it says are intended to strengthen trust in Iraqi-made medicines.
Iraq’s pharmaceutical sector has long struggled with inflated prices, weak regulation, and the widespread circulation of counterfeit or illegally imported drugs—issues that have made essential treatments difficult to access or afford. The absence of a unified pricing system has also enabled intermediaries to manipulate costs and destabilize the market.
Iraq’s pharmaceutical sector has deteriorated sharply in recent years, leaving millions unable to afford or obtain basic medications. The crisis stems from weak government oversight, economic instability, and widespread corruption, alongside the absence of a unified pricing system that allows intermediaries to manipulate drug costs and drive prices beyond the reach of most citizens. Compounding the problem is the large volume of counterfeit and illegally imported drugs, which some estimates place at roughly 35 percent of the market.
Read more: Iraq’s Pharmaceutical Crisis: shortages, counterfeit drugs, and ineffective reforms
In response, the Health Ministry has expanded local production to meet more than 40 percent of national demand through about 40 factories producing over 650 therapeutic items. It has also introduced more than 1.7 billion tracking stickers to monitor private-sector medicines and stabilize prices.
