Cuba To Begin Clinical Examinations Of Pneumonia Vaccine

Cuba To Begin Clinical Examinations Of Pneumonia VaccineCuba will start this year clinical examinations of a new pneumonia vaccine formulated by the island country's biotech industry.

Finlay Director Concepcion Campa stated that the vaccine was formulated by researchers at Havana`s Finlay Institute and the Center for Biomolecular Chemistry.

Campa is taking part in the 16th International Seminar of the Caribbean Medical Association that started May 02 in Havana and amassed 200 experts from different nations.

Campa delivered a lecture on the impact on national public health of the more than 10 vaccines manufactured on the island, reported Xinhua.

As per Cuban medical authorities, Campa led the scientific group that formed the first and sole successful vaccine in the globe against meningococcal group B (vaccine VA-MENGOC-BC).

Amongst the vaccines Cuba creates are one against hepatitis "B", the primary curative vaccine to put a stop to lung cancer, and a pentavalent against diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, hepatitis "B" and the bacterium Haemophilus influenzae type B.

Cuba's biotech business represents one of the nation's key revenue sources, marketing around 38 medicines in 40 nations.

As per official facts, in the year 2008, the industry recorded profits surpassing $350 million, constituting some 10% of the nation's total yearly exports.