Cuba condemns US restrictions on medical access

The Cuban government has condemned the United States for restricting access to medicines, medical supplies and raw materials for the Caribbean nation’s biopharmaceutical industry.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said on Wednesday (26 August) that the restrictions on these essential goods add to the burden of the US energy blockade and economic sanctions against Cuba, further worsening an already difficult situation.

Rodriguez wrote in a post on the social media platform X that amid the increasingly intensive sanctions and blockade, scientists at the Centre for Molecular Immunology have developed a potentially promising cancer treatment called 2C12, which has characteristics similar to pembrolizumab, a drug used internationally to stimulate the immune system’s response against tumour cells.

“The development of this treatment is evidence of the efforts of Cuban scientists to achieve sovereignty in the medical field, particularly in cancer treatment, given that the disease is one of the leading causes of death in Cuba,” Rodriguez said.

Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health has repeatedly condemned the US sanctions for hampering cancer treatment efforts by restricting access to medicines and supplies needed for oncology care and local drug production.

Although drug research aims to make Cuba more self-sufficient in pharmaceutical production, sanctions restricting access to raw materials have hindered the country’s biopharmaceutical industry from producing much-needed medicines.