Iranian-Made Drug Treats Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Severe Burns

An Iranian knowledge-based company has developed a locally produced drug to treat diabetic foot ulcers and third- and fourth-degree burns, leading to an estimated foreign currency savings of around 25 million tomans per unit. 

According to Mehr News Agency, quoting the Vice-Presidency for Science, Technology, and the Knowledge-Based Economy, the company’s CEO, Fahimeh Mohammad-Hosseini, explained that the drug is based on Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), making it the first of its kind to be produced in Iran. This factor promotes wound healing and epidermal cell growth.

EGF is naturally present in the body, but when wounds occur, changes in pH in the affected area reduce the production of EGF. Administering it externally accelerates wound healing. Mohammad-Hosseini emphasized that the localized production of this drug significantly reduces costs; while a foreign equivalent costs about 300 pounds, the locally made version is available for 2.5 million tomans, with substantial currency savings per unit.

Originally manufactured in Cuba, similar drugs have also been developed in countries like India, but they have not been imported into Iran. This Iranian-made EGF is available in both injectable and topical forms, with the topical version already on the market and the injectable version pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration.