Cuba to begin
initiate clinical trials of vaccine against
pneumococcus
Iris de Armas
Padrino and Anneris Ivette Leiva
CONCEPCION Campa, member of the Political Bureau
and director of the Finlay Institute, announced
yesterday that Cuba is to begin the first clinical
trial of the vaccine against pneumococcus next year.
In
a roundtable on advances in Cuban biotechnology at
the Global Heath Investigation Forum, currently
taking place in Havana, Dr. Campa stated that the
combined heptavalent vaccine is being developed by
that institution and the Center of Biomolecular
Chemistry.
Literature on the subject suggests that
pneumococcus is an almost exclusively human pathogen
that causes various infections (pneumonia,
sinusitis, and peritonitis, among others) and severe
invasive processes, like meningitis and septicemia,
particularly in the elderly, children, and the
immunocompromised.
Campa highlighted that they have received pre-approval
from the World Health Organization for placing these
immunogens at the service of Cuba and also other
nations.
She reiterated the impact on national public
health of the 10-plus vaccines produced over the
last 20 years, which have resulted in a decrease of
infant mortality figures.
During the event, Gill Samuels, president of the
Council of the Global Forum Foundation, praised
Cuba’s emphasis on both healthcare and education.
