United Nations, United Nations.- Strategic and prestigious Cuban industries such as that of biopharmaceuticals are currently facing huge damages due to the US blockade, denounced Cuba’s mission to the UN.

Due to the limitations triggered by the US policy, every year this sector sees millions in economic losses in terms of research, development, production and marketing of its products, a statement indicated.

US measures against Cuba not only limit academic and scientific exchange, the text adds, but deprive US citizens of receiving the benefits of biotechnological and pharmaceutical products developed in Cuba, which are innovative and promising for human health.

Due to the blockade, the import-export company Farmacuba reported difficulties in obtaining raw materials for the production of medicines.

In addition, from April 2018 to March 2019, the ‘8 de Marzo’ medicine production enterprise suffered disruptions in the production process due to the impossibility of acquiring the necessary raw materials with the required periodicity.

‘This company stopped producing approximately 2,000 units of oral suspension and 61,184 capsules.’

Meanwhile, a drug manufacturer from an Asian country reported that 250mg/5ml injectable Phenytoin could not be shipped to Cuba on the grounds that the nation’s banks refused to process documents related to Cuba for fear of being sanctioned by the US government.

According to the Cuban mission to the UN, this situation meant seeking another provider in Latin America, under less favorable conditions.

Meanwhile, Colombian supplier Proenfar was contracted to purchase intravenous parenteral nutrition in high volumes, but as the firm has a US shareholder, it could not complete the operation, and this affected the production of 1,995,300 I.V. bags.

According to the report ‘Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba,’ the total damages caused to production and services sectors on the island from April 2018 to March 2019, was 79 million dollars.

This represents an increase of 28 percent compared to the same period last year.