Iran enters group of world’s seven leading powers in regenerative medicine

Iran has obtained licences for six new cell therapy products and has risen in the global ranking in regenerative medicine from 12th to 7th place. Some of these products represent advanced technologies and have export potential, as reported by Nour News, a partner of TV BRICS.

The report notes that 148 advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are currently licensed worldwide, seven of which were developed in Iran. Until 2024, however, only one such product had been manufactured in the country.

Advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) are medicines based on genes, tissues or cells. They open up fundamentally new possibilities for the treatment of diseases and injuries.

These products cover strategic areas of cell therapy, cartilage tissue therapy and tissue engineering – branches of regenerative medicine that create functional analogues of tissues and organs to replace damaged structures. The medicines are intended for the treatment of conditions such as vitiligo (a chronic skin disorder), graft-versus-host disease (a complication following allogeneic stem cell or bone marrow transplantation in which donor immune cells attack the patient’s tissues), cerebral palsy, burns, diabetic foot ulcers, arthritis and leukaemia.

Iran has established a platform to continue the production, commercialisation and development of domestic and export markets for these products. This has been facilitated by the development of research and manufacturing infrastructure, the launch of a national system for the controlled use of advanced therapeutic products, the simplification of regulatory procedures, and the introduction of new financing instruments.