In the founding years, some thought that it would be impossible to achieve the development of a biotechnological industry in Cuba capable of providing the National Health System with multiple products for the benefit of the population.
They may have thought it was an exaggeration, a path without a future, because Cuba is a developing country, when, almost four decades ago, the Commander-in-Chief, Fidel Castro Ruz, created the western Scientific Pole in Havana, which housed several of what would become the Cuban biotechnology laboratories, which today have prestigious results.
From this "exaggeration" emerged the National Center for Biopreparations (Biocen), a high-tech company that would be responsible for providing a large-scale productive outlet for the scientific developments of that Pole.
This institution, now part of the BioCubaFarma group, continues to carry out its original mission, to which it adds research, development and production of its own products.
BIOCEN'S ROLE IN THE BIOTECHNOLOGY SECTOR
Humberto Pérez de la Concepción, Biocen's deputy director, told Granma International in an exclusive interview that one of Biocen's greatest strengths is the rigorous quality control of all the products that come out of the industry, which is proof and guarantee of its high standards.
He affirmed that all its plants and laboratories are certified to the ISO 9001 standards of the National Standards Institute, in addition to having certificates of good practice and the necessary production licenses, as well as the international recognition of the Spanish Association for Standardization.
He explained that, as a production facility, they are also subject to audits by their customers, which also certify their quality.
Pérez de la Concepción pointed out that during COVID-19, the center took on the important challenge of producing all the Soberana vaccines, the liquid Interferon, the immunoregulator Jusvinza, and also Biomodulin T, products that were used in the first line of defense against this pandemic.
At present, Biocen maintains the production of three main products: recombinant human erythropoietin alpha type, EPOCIM; hepatitis B vaccine and the anti-meningococcal vaccine, VA-MENGOC-BC.
Daniela Hormía, director of Parenterales del Biocen, explained that they have recently begun working on the transfer of technology from the Finlay Vaccine Institute to begin production of the Cuban anti-pneumococcal vaccine, Quimi-Vio, the trivalent antileptospirosis vaccine, vax-SPIRAL, and the polysaccharide Vi antityphoid vaccine, vax-Ty Vi.
She added that they will also receive the transfer for the production of the 11-valent Quimi-Vio vaccine, which is a product under development, but which will be produced so that clinical trials can be conducted.
OWN PRODUCTS
The Deputy Director of Biocen explained that this high-tech company is not only dedicated to the production of products from other centers, but also stands out for its own developed and manufactured products, among which the Valergen vaccines against different types of mites, the Trofin family of products and the immunomodulator Biomodulin-T stand out.
In the case of Trofin and Biomodulin-T, he stated that they stand out because they are natural products with proven experience and effectiveness, in addition to not causing any side effects, which is why they have been exported to other countries.
He specified that although these are not yet very significant, there are prospects for growth in markets such as the Dominican Republic, Turkey and Russia, especially for Biomodulin-T, where its use is even being evaluated in conditions other than those identified in Cuba.
He also pointed out that, together with other BioCubaFarma centers, they are participating in other priority innovation and development projects related to the dengue and the human papillomavirus vaccines.
On August 14, Biocen completed 32 years of constant results in scientific-technological development, producing biotechnological products made in Cuba with high standards that improve the quality of the health system, despite the shortcomings caused by the economic crisis and the blockade imposed by the U.S. government.
After 32 years, I doubt that anyone would consider this potential an "exaggeration", but rather the result of a visionary project and the fruit of the dedication of many scientists.
