An Iranian knowledge-based company has developed an advanced platform for producing orally disintegrating lyophilized tablets, a pharmaceutical technology that could help reduce the country’s reliance on imported medicines and save millions of dollars in foreign currency.

The platform has the capacity to manufacture approximately 20 different medicines.

Hamidreza Motasaddizadeh-Sorkhbidi, a faculty member at Tehran University of Medical Sciences and CEO of the company, said the main objective was to localize the production of medicines that are currently supplied through imports.

Motesaddizadeh-Sorkhbidi explained that the technology is designed to produce tablets that dissolve in the mouth within seconds, offering an alternative to conventional oral medications.

“These tablets dissolve in less than three seconds, whereas conventional orally disintegrating tablets may take around a minute,” he said.

The tablets are particularly suitable for patients who have difficulty swallowing, including children and older adults, he added.

Their rapid disintegration and sweet taste also make them more convenient to administer, he highlighted.

“The technology could be especially beneficial for medicines requiring rapid absorption, including certain drugs used to treat cardiovascular conditions,” according to Motesaddizadeh-Sorkhbidi.

He further explained that establishing a manufacturing line for lyophilized tablets requires specialized equipment and sophisticated technology, making it significantly different from conventional pharmaceutical production lines.

The platform was initially developed by a US-based pharmaceutical company, which previously dominated much of the global market.

However, following the expiration of the relevant patent, other countries and manufacturers have gradually gained the opportunity to develop similar products, he pointed out.

Motesaddizadeh-Sorkhbidi said the company has successfully demonstrated in laboratory tests that it can manufacture a product comparable to the original branded version.

As a domestic generic producer, it will also need to establish the required equivalence with the reference product, he added.

The locally manufactured tablets are expected to be considerably cheaper than imported alternatives, according to Motesaddizadeh-Sorkhbidi.

“Domestic production could also create opportunities to use locally sourced raw materials and reduce foreign currency expenditure,” he said.

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The market value of these medicines in Iran is estimated at approximately 1.1 trillion rials in the Iranian calendar year 1405 (2026–2027), Motesaddizadeh-Sorkhbidi said, adding that developing several medicines using the platform could prevent around $1 million in foreign currency from leaving the country.

Regarding the project’s progress, he said the company had designed and built the main production machine in cooperation with another domestic knowledge-based manufacturer, and designs for one or two additional machines have also been completed, with local manufacturers expected to build them.

“More than 50 percent of the project has been completed,” he said.

Separately, the company has also begun domestic production of an imported injectable multivitamin medicine.

Previously, Iran imported approximately 250,000 to 300,000 vials of the product annually.

Following research and development, production was launched under a contract with an Iranian pharmaceutical manufacturer, and the company has now received the necessary release authorization for the product to enter the market.