Estimation of the income and price elasticity of pharmaceutical import demand in Iran

Purpose Investigating the import of pharmaceutical products, as one of the essential goods of the country to improve health and medical conditions, is important in accelerating the economic growth and enhancing the welfare of the community. This paper aims to estimate the income and price elasticity of pharmaceutical import demand in Iran. Design/methodology/approach In this research, the function of Iran's pharmaceutical import demand was estimated and calculated using the co-integration method and error correction techniques with the seasonal data of 2005–2016 to identify factors related to import, as well as relevant price, and income elasticity. Findings The research results showed that the price elasticity of Iran's long-term pharmaceutical import demand was 0.04; that is, the rate of pharmaceutical import demanded by Iran was not sensitive to change in relative price. Additionally, the long-term income elasticity of Iran's pharmaceutical demand was 0.69, meaning that an increase in Iran's income did not have a highly positive impact on the volume of Iran's pharmaceutical import. Originality/value Estimating the function of the demand for pharmaceutical import may pave the way to adopt appropriate economic policies. Furthermore, estimating this function and calculating income and price elasticity is a step toward minimizing government expenditures and can be a great contribution in designing trade policies.