Despite the fact that some try to silence their efficacy, vaccines, medicines and other items of Cuba's biopharmaceutical industry are making their way internationally, though overcoming obstacles.
By Roberto Morejón
Despite the fact that some try to silence their efficacy, vaccines, medicines and other items of Cuba's biopharmaceutical industry are making their way internationally, though overcoming obstacles.
Representatives of the largest of the Antilles advanced contacts with Belarus, while in Mexico the accreditation of vaccines against Covid-19 continued, with a resounding positive impact in José Martí's homeland.
Executives from the pharmaceutical sector and businessmen from the European country discussed in Havana issues related to bilateral cooperation in the health sector.
The guests were able to see the innovative contributions of the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology and the Finlay Institute's immunogens created by Antillean scientists.
Previously, a delegation of Belkresursy Holding participated in the recently concluded International Fair of Havana and there signed with interlocutors of the Caribbean country the supply of medical products.
Encouraging news came from Mexico, as COFEPRIS, the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks, highlighted that out of the 12 vaccines against the SARS-Cov-2 virus authorized for emergency use, three are Cuban.
They are Abdala, endorsed in December 2021, and Soberana 02 and Soberana Plus, recently confirmed.
The information related to the endorsements of Cuban biologics in Mexico and the inclusion of Antillean pharmaceuticals in agreements with Belarus reaffirm their importance, demonstrated in their application in Cuba.
All this is possible due to Cuba's vision as a country of science, which has been the basis for notable investments in the biotechnological field in the last three decades.
The relevance given to science, and especially to biotechnology, was put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic, when local scientists designed vaccines to combat SARS-CoV-2.
It should be recalled that more than 90 percent of the local population completed an immunization schedule and 70 percent received booster doses, as part of a coverage that included children over two years of age.
Cuba also reported that 99 percent of patients infected with the virus recovered from the disease.
While there are still anti-virus vaccination campaigns to be extended in countries of the impoverished South, Cuba's commitment to its own immunogens stands out.