TEHRAN, YJC. Produced by the country’s medical experts under the trade name “Ziptin” a rare drug named “Sitagliptin” was unveiled on Saturday in Iran.
The drug treats diabetes type 2 and has been developed fully
domestically, Iranian sources said on Saturday.
"The drug would be effective for elderly diabetic patients
and those with mild diabetes since it does not lead to low blood sugar,”
Alireza Esteqamati, an adviser to the Iranian health minister, said on the
sidelines of a ceremony to unveil the drug.
Reyhaneh Rouhani, the regional sales manager of Iran’s
leading drug manufacturer, Dr. Abidi Company, also said on the sidelines of the
ceremony that previously, a German company had a monopoly on the drug, but Iran
has broken the monopoly by launching its own production line for the medicine.
Rouhani added that producing the drug will enable Iran to
save on quite a lot, removing the country’s need to buy and import the medicine
at high prices.
Iranian scientists have made great headways in recent years in
using modern medical technology to cure a vast range of diseases inside the
country, making Iran a hot destination for medical tourism.