TEHRAN — Domestic tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), a protein involved in the breakdown of blood clots normally caused by heart attack, will soon be manufactured in Iran, IRNA reported.

The drug which has successfully passed clinical trial tests is a production of Royan Institute in Isfahan, said Kamran Qaedi, an official at the institute.

Royan Institute is an Iranian clinical, research and educational institute dedicated to improving the medical care by conducting biomedical, translational and clinical researches.

The drug is extracted from the milk of a herd of transgenic goats born and being kept in the institute, Qaedi added.

He highlighted that the drug is now solely being produced in the U.S. and in case Iran succeeds in mass production of the drug it will be the second country in the world and first in the Middle East to do so.

The drug proved to be highly effective in the recovery process of a heart attack, director of the Royan Institute in Isfahan said.

Mohammad Hossein Nasr Isfahani further noted that it is not reasonable to expect a drug to be produced within months, noting it takes years for a drug to be approved and manufactured.

MQ/P