Minsk, March 20 (BelTA-RHC) – Cuba is ready to enhance cooperation in pharmaceutics with Belarus, Cuban Ambassador to Belarus, Gerardo Suarez Alvarez, said in an interview with the Belaruskaya Dumka Magazine.

“Cuba will promote cooperation in this important industry, taking into account the huge attention that is attached by our governments to social programs in healthcare,” Gerardo Suarez Alvarez noted.

He said certain products of the Cuban biotechnology industry are well-known and used in Belarus.  In November 2014, Minsk specialists successfully conducted clinical tests of the unique Cuban-made medicine Heberprot-P. It is used to treat diabetic foot infections and allows reducing the number of amputations among patients with this disease.

Gerardo Suarez Alvarez said that pharmaceutics is one of the industries which gives a lot of opportunities for bilateral cooperation. He reminded that Cuba and Belarus have signed a mutual trade agreement which provides for the supplies of Cuban-made biotechnology products and a document concerning the registration, manufacture and sale of medications.

Cuban specialists are currently developing more than 90 medications and conducting about 60 clinical tests. The biotechnology industry of the country has 1,200 patents. Cuba exports pharmaceutical products and vaccines to over 50 countries.