“I caught the flu and had to buy Turkish medicine because it is 20,000 Syrian pounds cheaper than the national medicine,” said young man Ammar Mohsen (28 years old) to Enab Baladi.

He continued, “The national medicine does not decrease in price despite the decline in the exchange rate, so Turkish medicine has come as a temporary solution.”

Just as Turkish products have spread in Syrian markets, Turkish medicines have invaded the pharmacies of the capital, Damascus.

Unknown-source medicines

Yahya al-Abd, who owns a pharmacy in the Mashrou Dummar area in Damascus, said he does not sell Turkish medicines in his pharmacy due to their low efficacy and unknown sources.

Ninety percent of Turkish medicines come from smuggling, and their prices are lower than national medicine because the production costs of national medicine are high in terms of fuel and raw materials, according to al-Abd.

He pointed out that the demand for Turkish medicines is limited to the poor class due to their prices being 30% lower than national medicine.

Low efficacy

Rima al-Basha (35 years old) from the Jdeidet Artouz area purchased three bottles of Turkish anti-inflammatory medication but saw no improvement in her health.

The price of the national anti-inflammatory medicine is 53,000 Syrian pounds, while the Turkish one is 30,000 Syrian pounds. al-Basha said, “Therefore, we are forced to buy cheaper medicine even if it has low efficacy.”

Fatima Ghunaim, who owns a pharmacy in the Jdeidet Artouz area and works in drug formulation in Ibn Hayyan pharmaceutical industries, explained that Turkish medicines have low efficacy due to the inferior quality of the materials used in their production.

The cost of raw materials for pharmaceutical production in Syria is high and denominated in foreign currency, and the manufacturing process requires large quantities of fuel, which is reflected in the prices of medicines in the markets, according to Ghunaim.

Enab Baladi attempted to contact the Pharmacists Syndicate in Damascus but received no response.

Prohibition of unregulated medicines

Before the fall of the Assad regime, the sale of imported medicines was unofficially prohibited in pharmacies.

In a previous statement at the beginning of 2024, the head of the Syndicate of Pharmacists in Syria, Wafaa Kishi, explained to Athr Press that foreign medicines allowed in pharmacies are those imported officially by the Ministry of Health or the relevant ministries, while foreign medicines that are not imported officially are not allowed to exist.

Kishi added that the demand for foreign medicines is not large, saying, “We have safe, effective, and monitored national medicines that cover almost 95% of the health needs in Syria, especially since foreign medicine is expensive.”

“There is no such thing as importing all types of foreign medicine,” Kishi noted, continuing, “We have our safe, effective, and monitored national medicines, which cover market needs, so why should we import foreign medicine?”

Turkish exports to Syria

The spread of Turkish products in Syrian markets has impacted the ability of Syrian products to compete, especially with the rise in local production costs.

The Turkish Statistical Office stated that Turkish exports to Syria reached $2.2 billion last year, while imports from Syria amounted to $437 million.

In December 2024 alone, it reached $233.7 million, about a quarter of a billion dollars, the highest monthly figure in the last ten years.

Data from the Turkish Exporters Council showed a 20% increase in Turkish exports to Syria in December 2024.

İbrahim Fuat Özçörekçi, head of the Turkey-Syria Business Council, stated that Turkey aims to increase the volume of trade to $10 billion in the medium term.

Turkish exports of equipment to Syria surged by 244% in January 2025, while exports of cement, glass, and ceramics rose by 92%, and metals by 73%. Additionally, exports of fruits and vegetables increased by more than threefold.