the US has been waging upon it through the embargo over 5 decades. It's the longest embargo in the world's history.
The new vaccine sounds right in step with some amazing breakthroughs Cuba has made, often applauded by countries everywhere outside the U.S. who have been keeping close track of Cuba's biomedical research for ages.
Did a quick check, found an article 5 years old which can add some information:
Cuba Has Made At Least 3 Major Medical Innovations That We Need
The trade embargo is holding up research in some crucial areas.
By
Anna Almendrala
03/15/2016 02:36pm EDT
By most measures, the United States' business-friendly environment has proven to be fertile for medical innovation. Compared to other countries, America has filed the most patents in the life sciences, is conducting most of the world's clinical trials and has published the most biomedical research.
That's what makes the medical prominence of Cuba all the more surprising to those who view a free market as an essential driver of scientific discovery. Cuba is very poor, and yet the country has some of the healthiest, most long-lived residents in the world -- as well as a medical invention or two that could run circles around U.S. therapies, thanks to government investment in scientific research and a preventive public health approach that views medical care as a birthright.
The island nation, hemmed in by a 54-year trade embargo with the U.S., can’t exchange goods with one of the world’s largest economies and the largest medical market. Still, the country is an unlikely global leader in public health and scientific investment.
"If people knew about these cutting-edge treatments coming out of Cuba, people would want to have them," said Pierre LaRamée, executive director of the Oakland-based Medical Education Cooperation with Cuba, which advocates for Cuban medical inventions in the U.S. and publishes an international, peer-reviewed journal focusing on Cuban health and medicine.
"All of these arcane rules and restrictions related to the embargo that are designed to block commerce with Cuba are keeping Americans from having access to these treatment opportunities," LaRamée said.
The White House is continuing to lift trade restrictions between the U.S. and Cuba. The most promising change yet came Tuesday, when the Obama administration announced that American dollars will now be usable in financial transactions in Cuba. The administration is also easing travel restrictions, allowing individuals to visit Cuba for "people to people" educational tours, whereas before Americans were only allowed to make such trips as part of a tour group.
However, most transactions between Cuba and the U.S. are still prohibited, which is why Cuban drugs face additional regulatory hurdles for testing and marketing compared to other drugs developed overseas. The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has authorized the importation of some Cuban medicines in the past, but only enough to conduct research and clinical trials, according to a spokeswoman for the Treasury.
Perhaps the most well-known Cuban innovation is the vaccine CimaVax. Invented by researchers at the Center of Molecular Immunology (CIM) in Havana, CimaVax targets a growth factor in cancer cells in a way that can arrest the spread of the disease. It can be used as both a treatment for lung cancer patients and a preventive measure for people at high risk of the disease.
More:
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/cuba-medical-innovations_n_56ddfacfe4b03a4056799015
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As you know, the former guy quickly ended the important steps former President Obama had taken to normalize relations with Cuba after all the years the hard right has used it as a political football to accumulate racist, fascist, infantile votes.
Thanks for your article, Sheltie Lover. ❤️️
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