Medicine shortages and rising prices in Iran are fueling widespread anxiety according to testimonials received by Iran International, as the reimposition of UN sanctions last month deepens economic pain for ordinary citizens.
Iranian respondents to a bulletin requesting input on their experiences seeking medicine submitted audio, video and text messages detailing daily struggles.
Several messages said the prices of both basic and specialized medicines have multiplied in recent weeks, forcing many to visit multiple pharmacies to find affordable essential drugs.
Some reported that even common cold and allergy medications are in short supply, adding that there appeared to be a near-immediate change after the sanctions' return.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council had previously ordered domestic media to limit coverage of the UN sanctions and portray their consequences as minimal.
While Iranian officials have sought to downplay the impact, the complaints from the public suggest otherwise.
Prices triple, quality falls
Some said drug prices have tripled or quadrupled while quality has declined. One consumer said the price of a five-tablet pack of antihistamines rose from 250,000 rials (about $2.16) to 1.2 million rials (about $10.37) in a month.
Others described searching multiple pharmacies only to find a lone remaining box of medicine sold at inflated prices.
“Previously, the medications we needed were available, and with approval from the Hemophilia Center and the Food and Drug Organization, we could obtain them from pharmacies. But now these drugs have become scarce, and we have to pay 20 million rials ($173) for each one,” one audio message said.
Iran’s minimum wage for 2025 is 104 million rials per month, equivalent to about $94.
Some messages indicated that people have had to ration medicines, skip meals, or make other sacrifices to afford treatment.
“My medicines were already expensive before the war and before sanctions, but now they are rationed. I have to skip meals because after every meal I need a pill, and I can’t afford more," A diabetic respondent said.
Another respondent said he had reduced his family’s food intake to pay for his wife’s medication. A homemaker reported spending over 60 million rials (about $518) on gastrointestinal drugs despite not earning an income.
Blame and frustration
Many Iranians blamed government policies for the crisis.
“The medicines were already scarce and expensive, but after the UN sanctions they became worse. Officials are not suffering; it’s the middle class and workers,” one respondent said.
Officials in Iran routinely attribute shortages to foreign pressure, while critics and dissidents cite mismanagement and corruption.
