Abstract
Cuba is one of the world' s last unreconstructed communist countries. The
country has a reputation for the quality of its health services and health
indicators, and has an impressive pharmaceutical/biotechnology research
sector. This report is ideal for executives wanting to understand the key
drivers in the pharmaceutical market and have access to a wealth of
statistical data, including five-year market projections. Included with the
report are 3 free quarterly updated outlook reports, enabling you to keep up
to date with market developments for a year.
Includes 3 quarterly updated outlook reports!
Cuba is one of the world' s last unreconstructed communist countries. Ruled
since the 1950s by Dr Fidel Castro, Cuba has attempted none of the economic
reforms implemented in eastern Europe or even China. Despite this, the country
has a reputation for the quality of its health services and health indicators,
and has an impressive pharmaceutical/biotechnology research sector. This
reputation is deserved in part, but conceals an ageing healthcare system in
dire need of restructuring and modernising, none of which can be achieved
without greatly increased funding.
During the Cold War, Cuba was a major Soviet ally, and the market remained
largely closed to the West. During the 1990s, however, many countries in the
West established links with Cuba. The USA, virtually alone, maintains its
embargo against Cuba. This is starting to hurt US healthcare firms, as
companies based in Asia, Canada and Western Europe have the high-tech market
to themselves. The international healthcare industry is taking an increasing
interest in Cuba, which in turn has made efforts to integrate into the global
marketplace in an attempt to attract new funding for its healthcare system.
Since its realignment under the consortium QUIMEFA in 2001, domestic
pharmaceutical production has kept growing, with increasing biotechnology
export opportunities not only in developing countries but also in Europe and
other developed countries. Cuba maintains a list of essential medicines (CBM),
with 827 in 2005, of which 521 are domestically produced. There is no
commercial advertising in Cuba, instead advertising has an educational
purpose. Cuba affords some level of pharmaceutical patent protection, although
less than international norms. Since 2001, FARMACUBA has acted as importer,
exporter and distributor for QUIMEFA.
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