Study the Opportunities of Iranian Pharmaceutical Industry in Azerbaijan

Background: The economic, political, and geographical landscapes of certain neighboring countries of Iran have created potential opportunities and capacities that, if effectively harnessed, can propel Iran towards rapid economic growth and development. Azerbaijan, owing to its geographic proximity with a 765-kilometre border with Iran and numerous cultural ties, stands out as one of the most promising commercial opportunities for Iran. Methods: This study unfolds in five overarching stages. Initially, an examination of published texts and articles is conducted to identify challenges and opportunities. Subsequently, interviews with experts are conducted to refine and supplement the questionnaire to identify challenges and opportunities and encapsulate factors influencing drug exports from Iran to Azerbaijan. Following this, a structured questionnaire is developed based on the extracted factors from the preceding stages, and interviews with experts are conducted using the structured questionnaire. Finally, the results obtained are analyzed using the Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) method to facilitate the enhancement of drug exports from Iran to Azerbaijan. Results: After scrutinizing the infrastructure and opportunities for drug exports to Azerbaijan, we have reached fourteen influential factors, and after ranking the factors influencing pharmaceutical exports to Azerbaijan, it becomes evident that market and sales-related factors, laws, and regulations, as well as quality and supply chain considerations, respectively, are among the most significant factors affecting drug exports from Iran to Azerbaijan. Conclusion: The study has suggested that most important factors that affect the Iran- Azerbaijan pharmaceutical business market research, price differentials, and networking with influential individuals in Azerbaijan, it provided effective strategies for enhancing pharmaceutical exports to Azerbaijan. Furthermore, internal challenges within Iranian pharmaceutical companies, including regulatory compliance, quality assurance, and limited international certifications, underscored the necessity for cohesive collaboration between governmental entities and private enterprises to streamline export processes and enhance competitiveness in the global market.

Fabrication and Characterization of Betamethasone-loaded Oral Thin Films as a Novel Drug Delivery Platform for Oral Lichen Planus and Recurrent Mouth Ulcers

Background & objectives: Due to the existence of various issues and limitations associated with traditional buccal drug delivery systems such as the disability to consume food whilst using topical drugs in the mouth cavity, unpredictable drug release profile, undesirable taste, low patient adherence to therapy, and accelerated drug removal with saliva, these conventional methods are now rapidly becoming replaced with oral thin films as more precise and novel oral drug delivery platforms. The current study aims to discuss the design and characterization of betamethasone-loaded oral thin films with the aim of improved drug delivery in mouth cavity diseases. Methods: In this study, oral thin films with and without betamethasone were fabricated through the solvent casting method as a common, fast, and affordable technique prior to being evaluated for different physiochemical characteristics including weight, width, surface pH, disintegration period in vitro conditions, and swelling rates as well as drug release profiles at different intervals. Results: Obtained oral films were demonstrated to possess adequate homogeneity, flexibility, and mechanical resistance. Accordingly, the average surface pH for films without and with betamethasone was equal to 6.75 and 6.66, respectively, which are in notable compatibility with the neutral pH of the oral cavity. Betamethasone-loaded films’ disintegration duration appeared to be superior to that of films without betamethasone and was in close correlation with their higher swelling rates. Further experiments revealed 25-30% drug release in the initial 20 minutes, followed by more than 90% betamethasone release in 360 minutes in a sustained manner. Conclusion: These results are indicative of betamethasone oral films’ satisfactory physiochemical properties and potential applicability as a sufficient oral drug delivery platform in mouth cavity diseases such as oral lichen planus or recurrent mouth sores. By sticking to the mouth mucosa, these films can significantly reduce drug removal with saliva and thus ameliorate sufficient delivery of therapeutic agents to specific mouth lesions. Moreover, they can alleviate some of the issues and limitations of traditional topical oral drug delivery and improve treatment or control of disease symptoms

Polylactic acid films incorporated with nanochitosan, nanocellulose, and Ajwain essential oil: Synthesis, characterizations, with in-vitro and in-vivo antimicrobial properties for infected wound healing

Nowadays developing wound dressing with higher antimicrobial properties which is accelerates healing, considered an emerging issue. In this study, we designed polylactic acid (PLA) films incorporated with different concentrations of nanochitosan (NCH), nanocellulose (CNC), and Trachyspermum ammi (Ajwain) essential oil (AEO) with in-vitro and in-vivo antimicrobial properties, for infected wound healing. In this study, AEO was extracted and the components were analyzed. The appearance, thickness, release of AEO, and the in-vitro antimicrobial properties of films were evaluated and the films with higher antimicrobial properties were used as dressing the wounds of rats. The mechanical properties of selected films with higher healing properties were analyzed. The results showed that thymol, P-cymene, and γ-terpinene were the main components of AEO. Also, all PLA films with AEO had antimicrobial properties, especially gram-positive bacteria. Finally, PLA films incorporated with 4 % NCH and 3 % AEO showed the highest antibacterial and wound healing properties. According to the results obtained in the tensile strength test, the PLA/NCH films had good strength and NCH improved the mechanical properties of the films. According to the results obtained in this study, the PLA films incorporated with NCH and AEO oil can be a suitable option for new wound dressings