TEHRAN – A total of 95 incubation centers, as well as 12 science and technology parks are active in the country’s health sector, Younes Panahi, the deputy minister of health for research and technology, has said.The incubation centers seek to help entrepreneurs transform ideas and results of research into marketable products. Based on innovative indicators of health technology development in 2021, Iran was ranked 60th among 132 countries. The most important activities of the center include providing support and guiding services such as educational services, establishing communication between technology units and governmental or nongovernmental organizations, and helping to commercialize the research achievements of the technology sector.As much as 1,693 knowledge-based companies are active in the field of health, he said, ILNA reported on Sunday.Referring to the transformation of health research into technology, he said that over 222,000 research projects and 553 technology plans have been prepared from 75,000 ISI articles published in universities and research centers.Pointing out that the total number of employees of knowledge-based health companies is 28,000 people, he said that 343 health technology products and 335 patents in medical sciences have so far been produced.Currently, 95 technology growth centers and 12 science and technology parks are operating in the health sector nationwide, he noted.Recently, the statutes of health innovation centers have been approved, and in this way, the necessary platform has been prepared to facilitate development and commercialization of products, and entrance to the health market, he stated.Referring to the highest number of knowledge-based companies in the field of health based on specialized fields, he explained that the first category is related to medicine and advanced products in the field of diagnosis and treatment with 411 companies, followed by advanced materials and products based on chemical technologies, advanced medical devices and equipment, and medical equipment tools.Rise in pharmaceuticals, medical productionThe import of pharmaceuticals has declined in Iran by 91 percent, which shows the capability of the country’s pharmaceutical industry, Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, said last October.Today, all medicine used in the treatment of coronavirus are produced by domestic manufacturers, and if we wanted to import all the items, there would be a high exchange rate, he further stated, emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccine development indicates the pharmaceutical industry’s capability.In 2018, 67 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used to produce drugs in Iran were made locally.A total of 227 knowledge-based firms are supplying medical equipment for health centers across the country, according to the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology.Knowledge-based companies can produce any medicine effective in countering coronavirus or approved by the scientific committee within a week to 10 days, Sourena Sattari, vice president for science and technology, said.Also, Iran is capable of production of biopharmaceuticals, which has so far reached 28 items, making Iran the third leading country in Asia.Based on innovative indicators of health technology development in 2021, Iran was ranked 60th among 132 countries, which shows an improvement of 60 steps compared to 2014, the deputy health minister for research and technology, has announced.Despite the sanctions that have existed since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution, Iran has the strongest health system in the region.FB/MG