Page 77 - GHES-3-3

Global Health Economics and
Sustainability
Pharmaceutical system in Iraq

Figure 5. Diagram showing the factors involved in the pharmaceutical supply of Iraq after 2003
Abbreviations: KIMADIA: State Company for Marketing Drugs and Medical Appliances; S/F: Substandard/falsified.
health coverage (Summan et al., 2020). In parallel, it is efforts must be accompanied by strong anti-corruption
imperative to invest further in understanding the unique measures to improve health outcomes and rebuild
health-economic landscape of Iraq and to scrutinize the public trust in the healthcare sector. In addition,
management of available financial resources to address the improved interdepartmental cooperation on health-
scarcity of medicines and the lack of availability of essential related matters is critical to strengthening regulatory
and life-saving medicines. These measures aim to reduce policies that have suffered from disintegration across
reliance on the gray market and S/F medicines. different departments and ministries.
(ii) Given that the regulatory frameworks of medicines (iv) Support for the domestic pharmaceutical industry
and other pharmaceutical products are complex, through capital investment and regulatory affairs to
lengthy, and lack independent regulators, it is facilitate the smooth importation of active ingredients.
important to streamline the process. An adaptive and Simultaneously, the promotion of domestic
efficient system would require: (a) a more flexible and pharmaceutical products should be encouraged
efficient framework to enhance the registration process by motivating both public and private healthcare
and marketing authorization, allowing for timely providers to prioritize locally produced medicines,
responses to changes in epidemiological conditions; especially in cases where temporary import licenses
(b) implementation of a fast and practical mechanism have been granted. The capacity of bioequivalence
for both registration and issuance of import licenses, study centers should also be increased to perform
as well as adoption of laboratory examination more than five studies annually to facilitate increased
certificates; (c) prevention of temporary import domestic production.
approvals for non-renewable medicines to eliminate (v) A universal and integrated information system should
obstacles to the regular import of approved medicines; be adopted to encompass both public and private
(d) adoption of a supply and purchase policy tailored sectors, reflecting values of timeliness and completeness
to medicines and health supplies to keep pace with the in reporting. This would facilitate regulatory bodies in
dynamic of modern pharmaceuticals markets. monitoring medicine demands, support public health
(iii) Increased oversight and regulation in the private surveillance efforts, and enhance continuity of care
sector, as well as enhancement of the government’s (Chaudhry et al., 2006). These measures would also
monitoring and inspection at points of entry, are improve transparency among healthcare providers
required to prevent the import of S/F medicines. These and contribute to scientific research.

Volume 3 Issue 3 (2025) 69 https://doi.org/10.36922/GHES025110025