Related Experiment Videos
Mapping the Financial Risk of Iran's Pharmaceutical System: A Cross-sectoral Qualitative Study
Paniz Zadehsoleyman1, Mohammad Peikanpour1, Hamid Pourasghari2
1Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharma Management, School of Pharmacy, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Background:
Financial risk in pharmaceutical systems extends beyond supply-chain interruptions and is shaped by macroeconomic, regulatory, and governance dynamics. In Iran, where the pharmaceutical sector is characterized by structural dependence on imports, fragmented governance, administered pricing, and persistent exposure to macro-financial volatility, evidence on how these risks are generated, transmitted, and managed across institutional domains remains limited.
Objectives:
This study aimed to provide a cross-sectoral mapping of key financial risks in Iran's pharmaceutical system and to examine the mechanisms through which these risks affect firms' stability and national medicine security.
Methods:
An exploratory qualitative design was used, based on semi-structured interviews with 35 experts from regulatory and policy bodies, financial and insurance institutions, pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, academic institutions, and commercial stakeholders. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
Results:
Thematic analysis identified four analytical dimensions-drivers, transmission channels, consequences, and control responses-across five interrelated financial-risk categories: liquidity risk, market risk, credit risk, political risk, and operational risk. Risks were described as mutually reinforcing through liquidity constraints, pricing instability, macro-financial volatility, informal credit allocation, implementation weaknesses, and sanctions-related pressures, thereby generating systemic effects across the pharmaceutical sector. The study contributes a novel cross-sectoral framework for understanding how macroeconomic, regulatory, financial, and governance-related risks interact to reinforce systemic financial instability in pharmaceutical systems.
Conclusions:
Financial risk in Iran's pharmaceutical sector is a system-level phenomenon arising from the interaction of macroeconomic instability, fragmented governance, and structural dependencies. Strengthening financial resilience will require integrated reforms in public financial management, pricing and credit governance, market-stabilization mechanisms, and depoliticized regulatory decision-making to safeguard both sectoral sustainability and national medicine security.
Related Concept Videos
Types of Biopharmaceutical Studies: Controlled and Non-Controlled Approaches
Non-controlled studies, commonly employed for initial exploration, lack a control group, rendering them susceptible to biases and external influences. In contrast, controlled...
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios
Impact of Pharmacokinetic–Pharmacodynamic Models: Regulatory Decisions
Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
Drug Regulation
Drug Control Governance: Regulatory Bodies and Their Impact