Shafaq News..Iraq moves to bring GSK, global pharmaceutical firms back

Shafaq News- Abu Dhabi

Iraq is seeking to bring major international pharmaceutical
companies back to its market, including British drugmaker GSK, Health Minister
Abdul Hussein Al-Mousawi announced on Wednesday after talks in the United Arab
Emirates.

The initiative targets firms that left Iraq in recent years,
aiming to broaden access to medicines and increase competition based on quality
and price, according to a Health Ministry statement. Al-Mousawi met
representatives of several drugmakers, with discussions focusing particularly
on cancer treatments and vaccines. 

Read more: Home or Hope? The Impossible Choice for Iraqi Cancer Patients

British Ambassador to Iraq Irfan Siddiq supported the
meetings, including talks with GSK over its potential return to the Iraqi market.
Al-Mousawi noted that the company’s medicines and vaccines serve around 2.5
billion people worldwide and that it had operated in Iraq for years before
withdrawing.

Iraq is also expanding domestic pharmaceutical production
but remains reliant on imports. Health Ministry spokesman Saif Al-Badr told
Shafaq News in November 2025 that around 40 factories produced more than 650
medicines and medical supplies, covering over 40% of domestic demand.

Supply gaps have been particularly acute in cancer care.
Nineveh Health Director General Dilshad Ali said in July 2026 that shortages
and import delays had disrupted oncology treatment, forcing some patients to
turn to more expensive private pharmacies.