Havana, July 18 (RHC)-- Several research projects are being undertaken by the Cuban bio-pharmaceutical industry, including those aimed at preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancer, according to officials from the sector.

Characterized by its closed cycle line, from invention and development to production and marketing, the industry is working on 422 projects, 393 of them product-oriented and 29 technological, all under the aegis of the Cuban Biotechnological and Pharmaceutical Industries Group or BioCubafarma.

In a meeting with the press, its director Eduardo Martinez explained that one mega-project is that of therapeutic molecules for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ataxia and multiple sclerosis.

NeuroEpo is the name of the product developed by the Molecular Immunology Center, one of the 34 companies affiliated to BioCubafarma.

Another of its leading entities, the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, is undertaking a clinical trial with a cardioprotector that reduces the size of the infected area by 78.9 percent.

BioCubafarma, formed 5 years ago, has among its missions the production of high technology medicines, equipment and services.

Considered an industry with a broad impact on the economy through exports, the official explained that the products reach 34 nations worldwide, due to the implementation of a business model that includes technology transfer agreements with countries like Brazil, South Africa, Iran, China and Vietnam.