Iranian firms develop domestic insulin to blunt sanctions

TEHRAN, Iran (MNTV) — Two Iranian knowledge-based companies have developed technology to produce recombinant insulin analogues through genetic engineering, with the first product expected on the market in January 2027, the state broadcaster Press TV reported.

The move could cut Iran’s annual foreign-exchange spending of more than $100 million on imported insulin, according to the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy. 

One company obtained a production licence for insulin glargine in January 2026 and expects approval by January 2027; a second is completing facilities and aims to seek final approval from Iran’s Food and Drug Administration in March 2027.

The insulin work is part of a broader, sanctions-driven push to localise advanced health products — including pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines, infant-formula components, plasma-derived medicines and pharmaceutical ingredients made from petrochemical feedstocks — covering goods with combined annual import costs the government puts at more than $800 million. 

An Iranian firm has licensed pneumococcal vaccine production starting at 1 million doses, researchers have moved a meningococcal vaccine candidate into clinical trials, and a separate project targets domestic supply of key infant-formula inputs. 

Pharmaceutical raw materials alone account for about $749 million in annual foreign-exchange costs, the government says.