OBJECTIVES: Nowadays, considerable restrictions of resources, exposure to environmental risks, increased competitive interactions, more diversified consumer needs, and other challenges which pharmaceutical industries are confronted to, compels the companies operating in this era to accompany the strategic approach to provide sustainable services and goods. Governmental support without sufficient attention to reinforcing factors will lead to dependence of the industry on non-strategic support programs, which finally result in patient vulnerability. The purpose of this study was to better understand the enablers of Iranian pharmaceutical industry to promote health care management.

METHODS: At first, by conducting a focused group discussion, consisting of experts from regulatory, academia, industry, and trade companies, relevant barriers and solutions were elicited. Then, the results were analyzed using thematic analysis qualitative method and summarized in an integrated model.

RESULTS: According to the identified challenges, the most repetitive themes focused on were ‘increasing the transparency of laws and information’, ‘stability as well as integrity of macro policies’, ‘simplifying the regulations’, ‘focusing on patient needs through the supply chain’, ‘observing intellectual property rights’, ‘strengthening knowledge structure’, ‘establishing long-term financial policies’, ‘facilitating merging and acquisition’, and ‘developing export infrastructures’, respectively. Hence, in order to promote sustainability in service provision and competitiveness, it is imperative for policy makers to promote pharmaceutical industry in five following dimensions: reconfiguration of structures and infrastructures, rectifying operational environment, patient-centered approaches in decision making, providing investment incentives, and encouraging continuous innovation.

CONCLUSIONS: Promoting the pharmaceutical industry operations with utilizing strategic approaches such as transparency of laws and regulations, patient oriented directions, and controlled financial as well as investment supports may lead to improved health care management.