US blocks payments to Cuba for Covid-19 vaccines exports

Dr. Eduardo Martinez, president of Grupo Empresarial de las Industrias Biotecnologica y Farmaceutica de Cuba (BioCubaFarma), told Granma newspaper that in the last quarter of 2021, Cuba exported vaccines and other homegrown biopharmaceutical productsto several countries.

However, the financial persecution unleashead by Washington, including the refusal by several banks to work with Cuba, led to the accumulation of millions of dollars receivables, he said.

The BioCubaFarma executive stressed that another consequence of the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba results in delays in payments to suppliers of raw materials, among other damages.

As a consequence, even though we have the financing, on multiple occasions suppliers have declined to supply us with materials. We have proof of what we are saying, Dr. Martinez remarked.

We have done a lot to bypass the blockade, he said, although he acknowledged difficulties in the production and supply of medicines, for which, together with the Ministry of Public Health, plans and measures are being prepared to reverse the situation.