Cuban biotechnology industry has been developing interferons for four decades

HAVANA, Cuba, May 28 (ACN) Medicines such as HeberFERON, Heberon Alfa R and Nasalferon, which are in great demand in the country in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, are now a reality thanks to a group of researchers who 40 years ago obtained the first interferon, an initial step in the development of Cuban biotechnology.

PhD in Biological Sciences Irlado Bello Rivero, leader of the HeberFERON project at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB by its Spanish acronym), told exclusively the Cuban News Agency about the history and evolution of interferons in Cuba.

He pointed out that in 1957 Human Alpha 2b was discovered and in 1961 Human Gamma, for its antiviral properties, but it was not until May 28, 1981 when, in a small facility near the place now occupied by the CIGB, six Cuban specialists achieved the Human Alpha Leukocyte Interferon.
At that time, an initiative of the Commander in Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, became a reality. He was interested in treating cancer with this product and sent a group of experts to train on the subject in Finland, where they had already obtained the molecule, and upon their return to the country, they began to work on the project and deepen their knowledge of the technology.

As a result, he explained, the Human Alpha Leukocyte Interferon, obtained for the first time in a natural way from white blood cells and leukocytes infected with a virus, began to be produced in Cuba.

Bello Rivero added that this formulation was also successfully used in the treatment of conjunctivitis and hemorrhagic dengue.

The Cuban researcher commented that in 2016 HeberFERON was registered for the treatment of skin cancer in basal cells, especially in advanced patients and those at high risk of recurrence in the disease, from the mixture of alpha and gamma interferons contained in a single vial.
While Heberon Alpha R (recombinant human interferon alpha 2b), according to the CIGB website, is an important biological response modifier and offers a therapeutic solution for viral, immunological and neoplastic diseases.

These include infection by human papillomavirus and human immunodeficiency virus, viral hepatitis B and C, herpes zoster and neoplasms.

In turn, to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and strengthen the immune system, Nasalferon - a formulation of recombinant human Interferon alpha 2b for nasal administration - has been applied in the country, which due to the immunomodulatory and antiviral properties of Interferon alpha achieves protection against exposure to the virus.