Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Damascus, SANA- Assistant Minister of Health for Pharmaceutical Affairs Dr. Habib Aboud expected that locally-made cancer medicines will be available within three months.
Speaking to SANA, Aboud said that there are two projects to produce quality medicines, including cancer medicines.
He affirmed that the Health Ministry is providing “massive facilitations” for laboratories that produce quality drugs such as medicines related to tumors, scleroderma, droplets, ointments and rheumatism.
The health official asserted that the ministry is seeking to accelerate the completion of 
licensing and registration of medicines with priorities for quality and missing items.
About the prices of locally-manufactured medicines, Aboud reassured that they will stabilize soon.
On the medical situation in Syria, Aboud said that this sector is witnessing a major breakthrough with 90 percent of the local market needs of locally-manufactured medicines covered as well as securing 90 percent of the import needs, percentages that not been reached since the beginning of the crisis.
With regard to the missing medicines, Aboud pointed out that their number had sharply declined from 680 types in 2016 to 100 in 2018, promising that “within a short period “there will be no medicine missing.
The Syrian medicine industry achieved a remarkable reputation before the terrorist war that has engulfed the country since 2011. The industry used to cover 93 % of the local market’s needs and exported medicine to as many as 59 countries prior to the war in Syria. According to the Health Ministry, Syria is currently importing to 18 countries.
Manar al-Frieh/Manal
