Iran ranks among world’s top three radiopharmaceutical producers

Iran has established itself as one of the world’s top three producers of radiopharmaceuticals, manufacturing around 70 types and meeting the needs of over 6,500 nuclear medicine centres. 

According to Mehr News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS, citing the Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, this achievement has significantly reduced reliance on imports and positioned Iran as a regional leader in nuclear medicine.

Iran began domestic production of radiopharmaceuticals in 2009 in collaboration with the Atomic Energy Organisation. Today, the country not only meets its internal demand, covering 230 hospitals and thousands of medical centres, but also exports to 15 countries, earning approximately US$70 million in 2025 alone.

Radiopharmaceuticals are essential in nuclear medicine, offering powerful tools for early cancer detection and treatment. Unlike traditional imaging techniques that rely on visible tissue changes, nuclear imaging detects subtle metabolic activity by injecting radioactive tracers into the body. Cancer cells, which consume more glucose than healthy ones, absorb these tracers and appear as bright spots in scans – allowing doctors to identify tumours and hidden metastases at much earlier stages than with MRI or CT.

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