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Background and purpose: Exjade^® is developed by Novartis pharmaceutical company and contains the active substance deferasirox, an orally active iron chelator for treatment of chronic iron overload following blood transfusions such as beta thalassemia. The aim of this study was to compare the physicochemical characteristics of branded generic product of deferasirox, Osveral^®, produced by Osveh pharmaceutical company (in Iran) with the original brand.

Materials and methods: Three doses (125, 250 and 500 mg) of deferasirox reference tablets (Exjade^®) were compared with the same doses of Osveral^®. Three batches of each product were randomly selected and physicochemical evaluations including appearance, disintegration time, hardness, assay, in vitro drug release and content uniformity were determined. Also, the similarity factor was calculated based on ICH (International Conference Harmonization) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines. The drug entrapped in the tablets was determined by HPLC. The dissolution rates were measured in solution media (phosphate buffered and sodium Lauryl sulfate at 37 ºC) within 30 min by USP apparatus II (Paddle) at 50 RPM speed after 5, 10, 20 and 30 min intervals.

Results: The results indicated that physicochemical properties of Osveral^® were similar to those of Exjade^®. Disintegration time for both products was less than 1 min and drug assay was between 90 – 110%. In addition, the similarity factor was more than 50% for all doses.

Conclusion: Osveral^® is a reliable branded generic formulation of deferasirox for treatment of chronic iron overload states.

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Background and purpose: A timeliness warning of communicable diseases surveillance system (CDSS) in every country is vital for maintaining national, regional, and global health security. This study aimed at providing recommendations to improve the CDSS in Iran.
Materials and methods: This qualitative study was conducted in 64 people working in CDSS and other associated organizations using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions between October 2016 and April 2017. The interviews were analyzed via conventional content analysis approach using MAXQDA 10.
Results: The solutions that could improve the CDSS were categorized into four main categories and 8 sub- categories as follows: stewardship of the CDSS, improving reporting comprehensiveness, development and improvement of infrastructures, and training and retraining.
Conclusion: The timeliness and comprehensiveness of the CDSS information depend on intersectoral collaboration. Therefore, main recommendations for reinforcement of CDSS include strengthening intersectoral cooperation, using incentives to obtain the supports of private sector professionals, developing reporting systems, and community participation.
 

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 Background and purpose: COVID-19 could potentially disrupt routine care management in health systems. One of such problems is associated with HIV surveillance. The aim of this research was to study the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on HIV care indicators.
Materials and methods: This retrospective cohort study was performed using data at individual and aggregate levels obtained from center for disease control and prevention in Mazandaran province affiliated with Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. We modulated upon Poisson regression
for analyzing the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on HIV incidence, mortality, treatment failure, hospitalization, refer to counselling center, HIV viral load (VL), and CD4 cell count monitoring. 
Results: One year after COVID-19 pandemic, the incidence of HIV was 0.44 per 100,000 people less compared with one year earlier (P= 0.051). CD4 counting and patients follow up at this time were 0.32 less (P< 0.001) and 1.11 more (P= 0.045) per 100,000 people, respectively compared with those before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusion: Current study showed that COVID-19 pandemic disrupted HIV care. It seems that despite regular follow up services provided by health center staff, coronaphobia was a huge barrier to care programs in HIV patients.
 

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Background and purpose: Viral hepatitis accounts for about 1.4 million deaths in the world every year. Surveillance systems and effective interventions play important roles in the management of these diseases. This study aimed to review the programs and measures done in Iran to eliminate viral hepatitis B and C.
Materials and methods: Using qualitative content analysis, the programs for hepatitis B and C care system in Iran were reviewed. Fifteen semi-structured expert interviews were conducted, and 31 documents were reviewed. The activities, plans and programs associated with the viral hepatitis surveillance system were extracted based on the interview results and the documents.
Results: The activities of the hepatitis surveillance system in Iran were categorized into six categories, including the viral hepatitis surveillance system goals, target groups, current structure of hepatitis B and C surveillance system, upstream policies and documents, current programs, and infrastructures. The most prominent interventions were the following: hepatitis B vaccination in target groups, screening, hepatitis surveys, needle and syringe distribution, safe injection, safe blood transfusion, and hepatitis treatments.
Conclusion: This study showed that the main weakness of the hepatitis surveillance system is detecting active disease cases, which can be improved by integrating the hepatitis program into the network system and active participation of private and public sectors as well as non-governmental organizations. Vaccination campaigns and treatment of hepatitis B and C can also help in eliminating hepatitis C and controlling hepatitis B by 2030.