Tehran – Iran's special presidential envoy for vaccines has called for a unified national vaccine ecosystem, warning that fragmented management is squandering the country's scientific potential while regional competitors surge ahead.

 

"Vaccines are no longer just for children," Seyed Reza Banihashemi said, noting that aging populations and emerging diseases have made vaccine investment a matter of national security.

 

He added that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed how vaccine access gaps can cripple not just health systems but entire economies.

 

“Despite over a century of vaccine production—anchored by the Razi and Pasteur institutes—Iran now faces a supply-demand gap. Domestic production covers only 4 billion of the 13–14 billion annual doses needed across human, livestock, and poultry sectors, with imports filling the rest.”

 

The envoy also pointed to "island-style management" as a key bottleneck, insisting that overlapping regulations and siloed institutions must give way to a coordinated ecosystem where public and private sectors complement, not compete with, each other.

 

He highlighted the national "Vaccine Biotech Tower" project as a vital bridge to global R&D networks, technology transfer, and private-sector engagement, calling it essential for keeping Iran's scientific elite at home and the industry future-ready.