Pharmaceutical company linked to Supreme Leader under investigation

Following Iran International’s report on contaminated dialysis solution from a company linked to the Supreme Leader, Iran’s incumbent president has ordered an urgent investigation by the head of the Anti-Corruption Coordination.

Iranian state media reported that Mohammad Mokhber called for a thorough investigation into reports of side effects of the dialysis solution.

On Tuesday, Iran International TV Title Guarantee Program (First Headline) revealed documents showing that peritoneal dialysis solutions from Samen Pharmaceutical Company, owned by the US-sanctioned Astan Quds Razaviare contaminated with aluminum. The report revealed that several dialysis patients were poisoned by the contamination, leading to some deaths. The Astan corporation is controlled by Ali Khamenei’s office.

Peritoneal dialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that involves filtering blood through the lining of the abdomen. This requires a surgical tube to be inserted into the abdomen.

Iran International’s report included voice messages from people describing their relatives’ experiences, describing seizures and coma-like states with reduced consciousness. After the broadcast, another person reported the death of a patient as a result of the contamination.

Iran International has also published two letters on this issue.

In the first letter dated June 6, the Iranian Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) asked Samen’s CEO to stop the distribution and use of the contaminated solutions.

The second letter, dated June 8, from the director of the Iranian Nephrology Society, informed nephrologists across Iran about the contamination and the poisoning of patients, and confirmed that Samen had admitted to the contamination.

During Donald Trump’s presidency the US sanctioned Astan Quds Razavia powerful religious-economic foundation that manages the holy site of Imam Reza is accused of being controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader.

The institution enables “The Iranian elite is believed to maintain a corrupt ownership system across much of the Iranian economy,” the US Treasury Department said.

The late Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi was a former chairman of the Astan Quds Razavi movement, which has extensive economic holdings in Iran. Raisi’s successor, Ahmad Marvi, was also sanctioned under Executive Order 13876.

Shortly after Iran International’s report, state media reported that the Iranian Food and Drug Administration (IFDA) The company also said it had received reports of problems and side effects related to Samen Pharmaceutical Company’s peritoneal dialysis solution. On Wednesday, the company confirmed that an order had been issued to stop the production, distribution and consumption of the entire production line of this product until more detailed tests were carried out in the country.

According to Hamshahri Online in Tehran, the Samen company also announced that the incident was being investigated.

This report appears in the midst of significant concerns above the Shortages and escalating Drug costs in Iran are high, and pharmaceutical companies are facing bankruptcy and closure. Local media reports that many common and essential hospital drugs are unavailable.

The government controls the import of medicines and distributes foreign currency to public and private importers. However, Iran’s economic problems, exacerbated by numerous sanctions, have severely limited the government’s ability to distribute foreign currency. In addition, reports of widespread corruption in the pharmaceutical sector have exacerbated the current situation.

Despite these health challenges, in addition to its military presence in Syria, the government continues to fund numerous armed militias throughout the Middle East, including Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.

In recent years, the Ministry of Health and the Red Crescent have been confronted with numerous reports and news of corruption in pharmaceutical imports. It was revealed that some groups allocated state funds for pharmaceutical imports but misused these funds for other purposes.