Effects of the international economic sanctions on access to medicine of the Iranian people: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE

We hypothesized that the international economic sanctions have affected various groups of Iranian people and have compromised their right to access medicines.

METHODS

Scopus and MEDLINE from their inception to 15 May 2022 were systematically searched for related published original manuscripts. The following keywords were used (title/abstract): "sanction(s)" AND "Iran". The inclusion criteria were all human studies and articles written in English.

RESULTS

We could identify 24 articles. Sanctions have severely restricted patients with thalassemia, haemophilia, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis from receiving their medical needs. Surveys and interviews of patients, healthcare professionals, and policy-makers have repeatedly shown that sanctions have greatly affected the health system in Iran.

CONCLUSION

International economic sanctions have limited access of the Iranian people to medicines and are associated with the suffering of Iranians. This situation should provide a lesson for policymakers in other similar instances worldwide.