Iranian Medicines Research Articles

Investigation of arbitrary drug use and factors influencing it in patients admitted to Shahid Rahimi Hospital, Khorramabad in 2021

Background: Arbitrary use of drugs not only leads to failure to treat the disease but also leads to drug complications, inconsistency of prevalence of diseases in the country with the amount of drug consumption and the problem of indiscriminate drug consumption in the pharmaceutical system of the country. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating self-inflicted medication use factors influencing it among patients admitted to Shahid Rahimi Hospital, Khorramabad. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 381 patients of Shahid Rahimi Hospital, Khorramabad in winter 2021. A simple random sample was drawn and the information of the individuals was collected using a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the demographic information and a t-test was conducted using SPSS 23 software for comparisons. Results: According to the results of this study, the average age of people was 34.322±11.438 years. The percentage of arbitrary drug use was 25.3%. The percentage of self -administered medication was 56.8% for painkillers and 56.2% for multivitamins, 71.2% for cold and flu patients and 38% for chronic and acute headaches. The most important reasons for self-medication are, in this order, the higher quality of foreign medicines compared to Iranian medicines and the use of medicinal plants, and the least important reasons for self-medication are fear and shame of medical examinations, lack of trust in doctors' medicine, taking medicines during illness on the advice of acquaintances and the use of previous doctors' prescriptions were mentioned. Conclusion: Given the high prevalence of self-inflicted drug use, it is suggested that various educational programs be implemented by appropriate organizations, including the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, medical centers, and mass media to reduce the factors identified in this study.

Adaptation of a European categorization system for driving-impairing medicines in Iran

Objective Road traffic crashes due to impaired driving are a leading cause of preventable injuries and deaths. The purpose of this study was adaptation of a European categorization system for driving-impairing medicines in Iran. Methods DRUID categorization system was used as a leading model to classify medicines. Medicines that were compatible with DRUID categorization system were identified and classified accordingly. Medicines that were not compatible with DRUID categorization system were assessed in an expert panel in terms of possiblity of classification. Instructions for health care providers and advice for patients were prepared based on the medicine’s influence on fitness to drive. Results Of the 1255 medicines in Iranian pharmacopeia, 488 medicines were classified in four categories. Among classified medicines 43.85% and 25.41% belonged to Category 0 and Category 1. About 13.94%, 10.04%, and 6.76% pertained to Category 2, Category 3, and Multiple categories respectively. Majority of the medicines with moderate and severe adverse influences on driving fitness belonged to the nervous system medicines (72.65%). Most of the medicines with non-existing or minor adverse influences on driving fitness pertained to cardiovascular medicines (16.56%). Majority of uncategorized medicines belonged to Iranian herbal medicines. Conclusion The current study disclosed that DRUID categorization system was implementable for most of the commonly prescribed medicines. Experimental studies are needed to determine the influence of uncategorized medicines of Iranian pharmacopeia. Other countries with similar settings can adapt DRUID categorization system until they develop their own model using original studies.

Availability and affordability of cardiovascular medicines in a major city of Afghanistan in 2020.

Affordable access to quality medicines is a critical target of global efforts to achieve universal health coverage. The aim of this study is to measure the affordability and accessibility of cardiovascular medicines in the city of Herat, Afghanistan. The price, affordability, and availability data for 18 most sold generic (MSG) and lowest priced generic (LPG) products were collected from public and private pharmacies located in Herat city in Afghanistan in 2020, which in each area, six pharmacies were randomly selected from a combination of public and private ones based on the standardized methodology developed by WHO/HAI. According to this methodology on Medicine Prices, Accessibility, and Affordability, the minimum daily wage of an unskilled governmental worker, and the price of each type of cardiovascular medicines for one-month use were calculated separately. If the cost of the treatment was more than the minimum daily wage, the medicine was considered unaffordable. The mean availability score for lowest price generic (LPG) in public and private pharmacies and based on the countries of origin including Iran, Pakistan, and India was 60%, 46%, and 31%, respectively. Of the 18 medicines surveyed, just Atenolol (Iranian brand) was found in all 30 pharmacies on the day of data collection. All Indian- brand medicines were less than fifty percent available in any of the surveyed public and private pharmacies. Among the medicines exported to Afghanistan, the population of Herat used more medicines made by Pakistan compared to India and Iran (MSG). Indian medicines were the most expensive ones and the Iranian medicines were the cheapest. A wage of less than one day was enough to afford one-month supply of generic medicines at the lowest price. Access of patients to cardiovascular medicines in Afghanistan was 46% in this study which is regarded as low access. Most of available cardiovascular medicines in the market of this country were made in Iran, Pakistan and India. Although the Iranian ones were the cheapest, but people used more Pakistani medicines. LPG products were affordable to the studied population.

The Examination of the Effect of the Training Faradarmani and Psymentology on the Perception of God for the Clients in Erfane-Kamal Center in Tehran

Faradarmani and Psymentology are Iranian complementary medicines that apply Taheri Consciousness Fields (TCFs) to treat disturbances of human existential dimensions, founded and introduced by Mohammad Ali Taheri with over 40 years of history. In these complementary medicines, the Connection between the partial and Whole (Cosmic) T-Consciousness is established, and consequently, the scan of the system under study is performed for repair and correction. The current research aimed to examine the effect of the Faradarmani and Psymentology training courses and their TCFs on the perception of God among the clients of the Erfane-Kamal center in Tehran. The quasi-experimental method with the pretest-post was utilized for 35 participants who were simply-randomly selected from 100 persons who actively and voluntarily underwent the Faradarmani and Psymentology TCFs and training courses (56 sessions, twice a week for 120 minutes, including theoretical subjects and practical experience of TCFs). Greeley’s perception of the God scale includes 72 phrases with six subscales. A Four-point Likert scale was used. Data collected from scales were analyzed, using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and SPSS software. Results demonstrated that the Faradarmani and Psymentology education had an effect on the perception of God and determined a 66% change in post-test (p<0.001). The Faradarmani and Psymentology training courses have an additive effect on these subscales: presence 56% (p<0.001), impact: 11% (p<0.001), providence: 48% (p<0.001), goodwill: 57% (p<0.001). This training course has no significant effect on subscales of challenge and reception. In conclusion, in the case of the Faradarmani and Psymentology training courses that focus on correcting worldviews, and the philosophy of human creation, it is anticipated that people’s worldviews regarding these topics, would be corrected after undertaking the training courses, which have been confirmed by statistical results.

The Examination of the Effect of Training Taheri Consciousness Fields, Faradarmani and Psymentology, on the Personality Features of the Clients in Erfane-Kamal Center in Tehran

Faradarmani and Psymentology are two Iranian complementary medicines of applying Taheri Consciousness Fields (TCFs) in order to treat disturbances of human existential dimensions, founded and introduced by Mohammad Ali Taheri. In these methods, the relation between the partial and Whole (Cosmic) Intelligence, and consequently, the scan of the system under the study, is performed for repair, correction, and modification. The current research aimed to examine the effect of the Faradarmani and Psymentology training and their TCFs on the personality of the clients Erfane-Kamal center in Tehran. The quasi-experimental method with the pretest-post was utilized for 35 participants in the Erfane-Kamal center in Tehran (capital of Iran). The participants were simple-randomly selected from 100 persons who actively and voluntarily underwent the Faradarmani and Psymentology training courses, 56 sessions, twice a week for 120 minutes, including theoretical subjects and practical experience of its TCFs. The Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) were used to assess the personality changes triggered by/caused by training courses. To analyze the data, the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and SPSS software were utilized. The results demonstrated that except for the reward-dependence subscale, the Faradarmani and Psymentology training had a significant effect on participants’ personality features. The amount of k2 for subscales of self-transcendence, cooperation, self-directedness, vulnerability, and novelty-seeking were 0.54, 0.48, 0.46, 0.48, and 0.11, respectively. In conclusion, in the case of Faradarmani and Psymentology training courses that focus on enriching the worldviews of people, and providing them with the philosophy of human creation, it was anticipated that their worldviews regarding these topics would be corrected and modified after undertaking the courses, which become confirmed by the statistical results.

The Examination of the Effect of Training Taheri Consciousness Fields, Faradarmani and Psymentology, on Meaning of Life for the Clients in Erfane-Kamal Center in Tehran

Faradarmani and Psymentology are two Iranian complementary medicines of applying Taheri Consciousness Fields (TCFs) in order to treat disturbances of human existential dimensions, founded and introduced by Mohammad Ali Taheri. In these methods, the relation between the partial and Whole (Cosmic) intelligence, and consequently, the scan of the system under the study is performed for repair, correction, and modification. The current research aimed to examine the effect of the Faradarmani and Psymentology training and their TCFs on the personality of the clients Erfane-Kamal center in Tehran. The quasi- experimental method with the pretest-post was utilized for 35 participants who were simple-randomly selected from 100 persons who actively and voluntarily underwent Faradarmani and Psymentology TCFs training course (54 sessions each 120 minutes, twice a week, including theoretical subjects and practical experience of its TCFs). The questionnaire of life meaning (Wong) was the measure for data collection. The findings were analyzed via analysis of the variance (ANOVA) using SPSS software. Due to the Faradarmani and Psymentology training courses, about 78% (F =126.28, P<0.001, n2 = 0.78) change occurred in the participants’ meaning of life according to the Meaning of Life Questionnaire (Wong). In other words, their perceptions, interpretations, judgments, and attitudes effectively improved after the training. In conclusion, in the case of the Faradarmani and Psymentology training course that focuses on correcting worldviews, and the philosophy of human creation, it is anticipated that people’s worldviews regarding these topics would be corrected and modified after undertaking the training courses, which have been confirmed by statistical results.

Comparison of Price regarding the Domesticly Produced Medicine with the Price of the Similar Generic Medicine in India

Background: Supporting domestic production, by assuming its effect on the increase of accessibility, has been acknowledged as one of the main pharmaceutical policies from two dimensions of better provision of the drugs in the market and the increase of affordability by reducing prices. Therefore, it is expected from the domestic industries to produce pharmaceutical products that, in addition to increasing access and a sustainable supply of drugs, have competitive prices compared to the rival imported products, and reduce the medical costs imposed on patients and the health system. In this study the price of domestically produced drugs were compared with the price of the similar generic ones in India.
 Methods: In this study, first, India was selected for comparison due to reasons such as low price, good quality, and the possibility of commerce despite sanctions. Then, from the Iranian pharmaceutical statistics, drugs which were only produced in Iran and were highly consumed with respect to the number of sales were included in the study. Prices of Iranian and Indian medicines were extracted from related valid websites. Finally, the price of 110 drugs were compared to determine the success rate of the domestic production industry in offering a reasonable price in the absence of foreign competitors.
 Results: According to the findings from 57 % of the drugs under study, the median consumer price of these drugs in India was lower than the Iranian consumer price. If this comparison was made with the minimum price of the Indian medicine, this percentage would reach 88.
 Conclusion: According to the findings mentioned above, it can be concluded that reducing the drugs prices and costs does not occur in all cases of domestic production, and this alone cannot be a good justification for a complete support of the domestic production of drugs; however, it should be noted that reducing costs is not the only reason to support domestic production of these products, and policy makers may act with regard to other factors in line with supportive policies; thus, the reasons regarding each case should be clearly defined for the health system.

New Insights Into the Anticonvulsant Effects of Essential Oil From Melissa officinalis L. (Lemon Balm).

Melissa officinalis L. is used in traditional European and Iranian folk medicines to treat a plethora of neurological diseases including epilepsy. We utilized the in vitro and in vivo models of epilepsy to probe the anticonvulsant potentials of essential oil from M. officinalis (MO) to gain insight into the scientific basis for its applications in traditional medicine for the management of convulsive disorders. MO was evaluated for effects on maximal electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) -induced seizures in mice, on 4–aminopyridine (4-AP)-brain slice model of epilepsy and sustained repetitive firing of current clamped neurons; and its ameliorative effects were examined on seizure severity, anxiety, depression, cognitive dysfunction, oxidative stress and neuronal cell loss in PTZ-kindled rats. MO reversibly blocked spontaneous ictal-like discharges in the 4-AP-brain slice model of epilepsy and secondary spikes from sustained repetitive firing, suggesting anticonvulsant effects and voltage-gated sodium channel blockade. MO protected mice from PTZ– and MES–induced seizures and mortality, and ameliorated seizure severity, fear-avoidance, depressive-like behavior, cognitive deficits, oxidative stress and neuronal cell loss in PTZ–kindled rats. The findings warrant further study for the potential use of MO and/or its constituent(s) as adjunctive therapy for epileptic patients.

Iranian Herbal Medicines Against Hydatid Cyst Protoscoleces: A Systematic Review.

In recent years, more attention has been focused in the practice of both crude extract of medicinal plants, and the screening plant-derived compounds as substitute scolicidal agents during hydatid cyst surgery. The present study was designed to review the protoscolicidal effects of some Iranian herbal medicines against hydatid cyst protoscoleces. English databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, EBSCO, Science Direct, and Scopus were searched for publications worldwide related to protoscolicidal effects of Iranian herbal medicines without date limitation so that identify all published articles (in vitro, in vivo, clinical and case-control) have studied. Keywords included "Protoscolicidal", "Scolicidal", "Herbal medicines", "Extract", "Essential oil", "Plant", "In vitro", and "Iran". Moreover, the language of data collection was limited to English. In total, 40 papers up to 2020 were included in the present systematic review. The most studies were conducted on protoscolicidal activity of methanolic extracts (17 studies) followed by essential oils (15 studies), and aqueous extract (3 studies). The most commonly used part of herbs were leaves (21 herbs), seeds (8 herbs), and fruit (6 herbs), respectively. Moreover, the most prevalent herbal family was Lamiaceae (6 studies), followed by Apiaceae (5 studies) and Liliaceae (5 studies). Considering the high efficacy of Iranian herbal medicines against hydatid cyst protoscoleces, it can be concluded that Iranian herbal medicines have ability to consider as new alternative protoscolicidal agents during hydatid cyst surgery; however, more clinical studies are required to discover the precise protoscolicida activity of Iranian medicines in animal and human subjects.

Aromatherapy with Iranian Herbal Medicines for Premenstrual Syndrome and Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Primary dysmenorrhea is painful bleeding in the absence of any confirmed pelvic disorder, which is often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and headache. The tendency of patients to use herbal and alternative medicine is more than the past. Regarding the fact that no meta-analytical study has been done to evaluate aromatherapy with Iranian herbal medicines, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of aromatherapy with different herbs on premenstrual syndrome andprimary dysmenorrhea. Materials and Methods: English and Persian electronic databases were systematically searched without any time limit until May 5, 2019. The references of review articles and clinical trials were also reviewed. Two authors independently reviewed the titles and abstracts, if the subject of the article was relevant, the full article was extracted and criticized. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software was used to conduct meta-analysis. Results: Finally, 14 studies were entered into a meta-analysis. The mean standard difference between two groups of aromatherapy with different plants and control group was -1.06 (95%CI: -1.33 to -0.848; p<0.001). Aromatherapy with roses (SMD=-1.35; 95%CI= -0.01 to -2.69; p=0.048), and aromatherapy with lavender (SMD= -1.08; 95% CI: -0.73 to -1.43; p<0.001) compared to the control group had better effect in reduction of pain severity. According to three studies, aromatherapy with Geranium 2% essential oil, Citrus aurantium blossom essential oil, and Rosa damascena were more effective than control group regarding mental and physical signs. Conclusion This meta-analysis showed that aromatherapy with different Iranian herbs such as lavender and rose could significantly reduce primary dysmenorrhea and premenstrual syndrome. This treatment can be used specifically in patients who cannot tolerate conventional treatments.

The influence of traditional Iranian and Chinese medicine on western and islamic countries

Traditional Chinese and Iranian medicine are ancient medical and health care systems that still forms an important part of diagnosis and treatment systems in Iran, China and other parts of the world. The integration of these two systems and modern biomedicine is also an important issue. Iranian and Chinese traditional medicines recommended for health promotion and well-being. Chinese herbal drugs have been described by medieval Muslim medical scholars such as Tabari, Rhazes, Haly Abbas, Avicenna and Jurjani (1137 CE). Traditional Chinese and Iranian medicine play an important role in sustainable agriculture and food systems, it also offers a holistic approach to prevent diseases while making appropriate use of organic and herbal products especially growth by small-scale family farmers. Both Iranian and Chinese traditional medicines may help to balance temperature, and both can be health prevention and preservation. Traditional healing practices consist of Islamic religious text based practices, Islamic worship practices and folk healing practices, Islamic religious text based practices are included spiritual healing, medicinal herbs, applied therapy and dietary prescriptions. At present, herbal medications or related products in the global market are derived from Chinese herbs, Indian herbs, Iranian herbs, Arabic herbs, and Western herbs. Herbal remedies may also be classified into three categories, namely, modern herbs, theoretical herbs, and empirical herbs, in accordance with their nature/characteristics and the nature of current usage. Traditional Chinese&#x0D; Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. June 2019, 5(2): 94-99

ФАРМАЦЕВТИЧЕСКИЙ СЕКТОР ИРАНА: СОСТОЯНИЕ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

After more than 35 years of economic sanctions imposed by the United States following the Islamic Revolution of 1979, Iran finally gained relief in 2016. Despite its obvious negative impact, the long economic isolation did not prevent the development of some sectors of national economy, including pharmaceutical industry. After the suspension of Western sanctions, Iranian government proclaimed the necessity of modernization of the industry. This requires transition from a closed system based on production of generics to a more open and innovative scheme of development and international connections. Currently, Iranian pharmaceutical industry is domestically oriented and characterized by a small share of imports. At the same time, there are good opportunities for exporting Iranian medicines to a number of neighbouring countries which are characterized by dense population, extremely underdeveloped pharmaceutical industry and healthcare systems. The current volumes of pharmaceutical exports from Iran do not correspond to the available market demand. However, modernization of the national pharmaceutical industry faces a number of problems, including excessive state regulation and black market&rsquo;s activities. In addition, while allowing foreign companies to enter its domestic market for the first time after a long isolation, Iran risks to see decreased activity in the field of local pharmaceutical R&amp;D which may negatively impact on the prospects for entering the international pharmaceutical market. Moreover, in order to produce and promote the newest innovative pharmaceutical products, Iran needs to consider the international standards in the production of medicines and make every effort to join the WTO at the earliest. Leveraging the SWOT analysis, this article provides an overview of the current state and development prospects of Iranian pharmaceutical industry and reveals the gravest potential development challenges.

The effectiveness and safety of Iranian herbal medicines for treatment of premenstrual syndrome: A systematic review.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the most common problems among women of reproductive age. The popularity of complementary/alternative therapies has grown in recent years, and these treatments have been more commonly used by women (48.9%) than men (37.8%). The aim of this systematic review was to assess effectiveness and safety of Iranian herbal medicines for treatment of premenstrual syndrome. PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were searched along with SID, Magiran and Irandoc up to Dec 2017.Inclusion criteria consist of Iranian, published, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using Iranian herbal medicine for treatment of reproductive age women with PMS. Eventually Eighteen RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Overall, studies have shown that Vitex agnuscastus, Hypericum perforatum,Matricaria chamomilla, saffron, Curcumin, Melissa officinalis, Zataria multiflora,Wheat Germ Extract, Echinophora platyloba, Foeniculum vulgare, Valerian root extract,Citrus sinensis, Zingiber officinale and Flax seed might alleviate symptoms of PMS. This research demonstrated efficacy and safety of Iranian herbal medicines in alleviating PMS. Therefore, herbal medicine can be regarded as an alternative treatment for women suffering from PMS.

A Comparative In-Vitro Study for Evaluation of Physicochemical Properties of the Domestic and Innovator Brands of Sertraline Hydrochloride Tablets Available in the Iranian Market

Background: The present study was aimed to assess the quality of Iranian and innovator sertraline hydrochloride (SER) tablets available in the Iranian market. This study could make it possible to provide adequate evidences confirming the similar physicochemical quality of Iranian and imported SER products and could subsequently decrease the therapy costs owing to the more affordable costs of Iranian medicines compared to the imported ones. Methods: Seven products including one imported and six Iranian SER tablet brands were purchased from local pharmacy stores in Tabriz. Quantification of the amount of active ingredient in assay, uniformity of dosage units and dissolution tests were performed using an HPLC method recommended by USP monograph and other physicochemical properties were assessed in accordance with the USP general recommendations. Results: According to the obtained results, the amount of active ingredient in all the products met the acceptable range (%90 - %110); the content of all the studied products was uniform (AV ≤ 15); and all the products passed the dissolution test at the first stage (Q30 ≥ 85 %); the average weight of all the products was uniform with RSD% of less than 5%; except for one product with friability of 15.8% (due to the coating issue), all products' hardness (≤ 10 Kg) and friability (≤ 1%) were acceptable and all of them completely disintegrated after 30 min. Conclusion: The results of this study illustrated the acceptable quality of the most Iranian brands of SER compared to the innovator brand regarding the studied physicochemical properties.

The efficacy of Iranian herbal medicines in alleviating hot flashes: A systematic review

Hot flashes are the most common symptoms experienced by women around the time of menopause. Many women are interested in herbal medicines because of fear of side effects of hormone therapy. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of Iranian herbal medicines in alleviating hot flashes. MEDLINE (1966 to January 2015), Scopus (1996 to January 2015), and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library, issue 1, 2015) were searched along with, SID, Iran Medex, Magiran, Medlib and Irandoc. Nineteen randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria. Overall, studies showed that Anise (Pimpinella anisum), licorice (Glycyrrhizaglabra), Soy, Black cohosh, Red clover, Evening primrose, Flaxseed, Salvia officinalis, Passifloraitex Agnus Castus, Piascledine (Avacado plus soybean oil), St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum), and valerian can alleviate the side effects of hot flashes. This research demonstrated the efficacy of herbal medicines in alleviating hot flashes, which are embraced both with people and health providers of Iran Therefore, herbal medicine can be seen as an alternative treatment for women experiencing hot flashes.