Page 65 - GHES-3-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability

REVIEW ARTICLE
A review of the Iraqi pharmaceutical system:

Recommendations for post-war healthcare reform

Ahmed W. Al-Humadi 1,2,3 * , Werd Al-Najim 1,2 , and Rose-Marie Daly 4
1 Diabetes Complications Research Centre, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
2 Conway Institute, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
3 Metabolic Medicine Unite, ERC, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
4 Medical Law and Ethics, Edinburgh Law School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland,
United Kingdom

Abstract
Wars and political volatility in Iraq have decimated healthcare systems for decades.
Meeting the country’s healthcare demands is not possible without a quality
pharmaceutical system that regulates, supplies, and promotes the appropriate
use of medicinal products. Healthcare services and pharmaceutical systems are
interdependent. Without accurate reporting on Iraq’s pharmaceutical processes,
systems, and challenges, meaningful healthcare reform consistent with national
goals for social stability will remain out of reach. This article evaluates the current
Academic editor: pharmaceutical system responsible for the delivery and use of medical products, with
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE
a focus on ensuring patient protection and optimizing health outcomes in Iraq. It
*Corresponding author: outlines current challenges and presents potential solutions and recommendations.
Ahmed W. Al-Humadi
(a.alhumadi@svph.ie) Narrative reviews were collected from peer-reviewed articles, government and non-
government publications, and expert opinions sourced from PubMed, Scopus, Web
Citation: Al-Humadi AW, of Science, and Google over the past 25 years. These articles were analyzed within
Al-Najim W, Daly R. (2025).
A review of the Iraqi pharmaceutical the context of Iraq’s pharmaceutical environment. Figures were synthesized, and a
system: Recommendations for diagram was developed to guide the recommendations. The administrative and
post-war healthcare reform. Global technical units involved in regulatory processes are clarified, with emphasis placed
Health Econ Sustain, 3(3):57-73.
https://doi.org/10.36922/ on the lack of funding for streamlining these procedures. Significant findings include
GHES025110025 deficiencies in the oversight of private sectors and the Wneed to empower Iraq’s
Received: March 15, 2025 domestic pharmaceutical industry. Improvements in educational curricula and the
training of pharmaceutical professionals are required. Moreover, the modernization of
Revised: April 3, 2025 health information and research systems is deemed necessary. The establishment of a
Accepted: April 7, 2025 functional pharmaceutical system is closely associated with broader healthcare reform
Published online: April 24, 2025 and the development of national economic interests that support state legitimacy.
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s).
This is an Open-Access article Keywords: Drug policy; Healthcare system; Iraq; Pharmaceutical system; Pharmacy
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution education; Medicine regulatory framework
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited. 1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: AccScience

Publishing remains neutral with The history of medical regulation in Iraq dates back to ancient times(Borchardt, 2002).
regard to jurisdictional claims in Medicinal prescriptions were documented in cuneiform writing on clay tablets by
published maps and institutional
th
affiliations. specialists in the south of Iraq as early as the 4 millennium BC. The first state-regulated
Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 57 https://doi.org/10.36922/GHES025110025