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The effects of sanctions on the development of pharmaceutical biotechnology (case study of Iran and Cuba)
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Hooman Kaghazian   , Ahmad Shohani *  , Mojtaba Bijani |
| Department of Political Science, Faculty of Humanities, Payame Noor University, Tehran West, Iran |
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Abstract: (55 Views) |
Health biotechnology has emerged over the past four decades as a strategic driver of medical innovation, vaccine development, and national health security. In countries subjected to prolonged international sanctions, this sector plays a critical role in enhancing technological resilience and reducing dependency on external supply chains. This narrative review analytically examines the impacts of economic and technological sanctions on the development trajectories of health biotechnology in Iran and Cuba, two countries that have experienced sustained external pressures but adopted distinct institutional responses. In Iran, sanctions have been predominantly technology-oriented, manifesting mainly through restrictions on technology transfer, access to advanced bioprocessing equipment, procurement of critical raw materials, and international scientific collaboration. Although banking, trade, and transportation sanctions have also affected Iran, their most pronounced influence in the health biotechnology sector has been exerted through technological bottlenecks. These pressures have stimulated forced innovation, domestic capability building, and the expansion of knowledge-based firms, albeit within a fragmented, multi-actor institutional landscape. In contrast, U.S. sanctions against Cuba have been comprehensive and structural, encompassing trade, finance, transportation, and scientific exchange at the national level. Cuba’s response has been the establishment of a highly centralized and state-integrated biotechnology system, in which research, development, production, and commercialization are institutionally aligned. This model has enabled Cuba to achieve international competitiveness in selected areas, particularly recombinant vaccine production, despite severe economic constraints. Comparative analysis suggests that technological resilience under sanctions is less dependent on access to external technologies than on internal institutional architecture, governance coherence, and strategic policy alignment. Based on these findings, the study proposes targeted policy recommendations for Iran, including strengthening research industry linkages and implementing guaranteed procurement mechanisms for domestically produced biotechnological products to enhance long-term sustainability and innovation capacity.
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| Keywords: Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Sanctions, Development, Cuba, Iran |
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Type of Study: Original Research |
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