United States tightens blockade against Cuba from April 2109 to March 2020

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 29 (ACN) The U.S. government in its eagerness to destroy the Cuban revolution tightened the blockade against the Caribbean island from April 2019 to March 2020.

The health sector has been one of the hardest hit by this policy, but Cuba continued fighting, achieving its targets and having successes in this field.

-On July 16, 2019, the airline EMIRATES refused a shipment of the drug Carbidopa-levodopa contracted by MEDICUBA to the Indian manufacturer and supplier APEX DRUG HOUSE, arguing that they could not transport goods whose destination was Cuba. This situation considerably delayed the delivery of the resource, and other commercial alternatives had to be urgently sought. Carbidopa-levodopa, is a drug used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as muscle rigidity, tremors, spasms and poor muscle control.

-On August 30, 2019, Sanzyme Private Limited, India, refused to accept the shipping documents for a MEDICUBA business transaction regarding the purchase of the drug Progesterone 50 mg, resulting in delays in the shipment and delivery of the drug. Progesterone is used in the Assisted Reproduction Program to prevent premature labor or threatened miscarriage, and for the treatment of premenstrual syndrome and hormonal imbalance in women, such as amenorrhea and dysfunctional uterine bleeding.

-On December 3, 2019, the NUTRICIA company refused to deliver to MEDICUBA's supplier an order for nutritional supplements and foods for medical use, special in the dietary management of disorders and diseases, alleging the activation of Title III of the Helms-Burton Act.

-During the period, MEDICUBA contacted 50 U.S. companies to inquire about the possibilities of importing medicines, equipment and other supplies needed by the island's public health system. The vast majority did not react and three of these (WATERS CORPORATION, DEXCOM and the U.S. subsidiary of ROYAL PHILIPS N.V.) responded arguing that they could not establish commercial ties with Cuban entities due to the blockade.

-In the case of ROYAL PHILIPS N.V., it requested 80 CVX-300 Excimer Laser System equipment, used for coronary angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary intervention, a minimally invasive procedure used to open obstructed arteries in the heart. The company responded that it is not in a position to establish commercial relations with MEDICUBA because of regulatory and export control restrictions imposed by the U.S. government.

PFIZER PHARMACEUTICALS: requested Palbociclib, for the treatment of hormone-sensitive metastatic breast cancer, as well as Sunitinib, for the treatment of metastatic renal carcinoma, and Crizotinib, for the treatment of lung cancer. No response was obtained.

-MERCK SHARP & DOHME PHARMACEUTICALS (MSD): Pembrolizumab (Anti PD-l1 antibody) was requested for the treatment of metastatic melanoma, lung cancer, bladder cancer, Hodgkin's lymphoma and others. It was also asked for the drug Golimumab, which is the most advanced biologic drug for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, conditions in which the immune system attacks the joints causing pain, stiffness and movement restrictions. No response was obtained.

SEATTLE GENETICS PHARMACEUTICALS: Brentuximab vedotin was requested for the treatment of post-transplant refractory Hodgkin's lymphoma. No response was obtained.

-BAXTER INTERNATIONAL INC. PHARMACEUTICALS: pediatric arterial and venous lines, hydrophobic filters, 6fr and 6.5fr transient hemodialysis catheters for young children, pediatric dialyzers, 500 cc dialysis bags and 25 to 28cm Tenckhoff catheters, used for newborns and infants with acute renal failure, were requested. No response was obtained.

However, Cuba has not stopped working and achieving success in this field.
Some achievements of the Cuban Health System despite limitations:

-According to preliminary data, the nation registered at the close of 2020 an infant mortality rate of 4.9 per thousand live births, 36 deaths less than the previous year.

- In the same period, the lowest mortality rate for congenital malformations in history was registered at 0.7 per 1,000 live births.

- In 1962, Cuba became the first Latin American country to eradicate poliomyelitis.

- It was the first nation in the world to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS and syphilis.
- In six decades of Cuban medical collaboration abroad, the staff of Cuba has assisted more than 1.98 billion people in the world and saved more than eight million lives.