Havana, September 15 (RHC)-- The current state and perspectives of drug production in Cuba, the causes behind its current shortage, were addressed Wednesday on the radio program Mesa Redonda (Round Table).

The president of the BioCubaFarma business group, Eduardo Martínez, pointed out that, in 2021, fifty percent of the financial and material resources were used to produce medicines to confront COVID-19 and for the development and production of vaccines.

The expert explained that in the face of the emergency, it was impossible to have the resources to produce the full range of drugs to guarantee the list of essential medications.

This situation has continued and has worsened in 2022, with shortage levels higher than in 2021 due to the lack of raw materials for production.

Among the causes for this situation, Martínez mentioned not having the necessary and timely financing to acquire them, as well as problems in the payment of suppliers due to the refusal of banks to work with Cuba.

He added that, frequently, regular suppliers stop supplying due to actions related to the blockade. He said that the world deficit of some raw materials and materials for pharmaceutical use has worsened during the pandemic.