And
the significance of all such development
in a developing country is benefiting
the developing world the most. The
CIBG had made its presence in Pakistan
with its products through a pharmaceutical
company. Its director of regulations
and clinical trials, Dr Pedro Lopez
Saura, has visited Pakistan several
times in connection with different
clinical trials and training.
This
time visiting Pakistan two-weeks prior
to his 59th birthday, Dr Pedro Lopez
says the CIBG's products that include
hepatitis-B and meningitis-B vaccines,
interferon, the first synthetic flu
vaccine, have been marketed in the
developing world. "The products
developed in CIGB laboratories are
registered in 61 countries and exported
to 32 developing countries," he
adds.
Dr
Pedro has been visiting Pakistan also
to check the clinical trials that his
centre together with its pharmaceutical
partners is running. The CIBG's most
popular product in the developing world
including Pakistan is its vaccine against
hepatitis-B called Heberbiovac. "We
have done several clinical trials and
its efficacy and safety have been demonstrated
here."
"In
Pakistan, we are also in the process
of registering another vaccine against
haemophilus influenzae, which is one
of the main causes of meningitis and
pneumonia and other infections in small
children," he said. "They're
in the process of registration. We
have not done clinical trials for it
here but certainly we have done trials
back home."
And
how is it like bringing in Cuban drugs
to Pakistan? "When we come here
we have to bring a heavy dossier of
our products so that Pakistani authorities
can review our achievements," he
adds. "Sometime national authority
requires trials in its home country
and that happens quite often because
of a possible varying efficacy of a
certain drug to different ethnic population."
How
far is the idea of attenuated and genetically
manipulated vaccine? "When you
apply modern genetic engineering and
biotechnology, you can choose the part
of the virus or bacteria that is needed
for protection against it," he
answers. "Putting it into another
host like yeast or any non-dangerous
bacteria and then you can produce the
molecules and make the vaccines, without
handling the dangerous virus or bacteria."
And
this is called recombinant vaccines
because this is done by genetic manipulation
of the bacterial genes. This is exactly
what scientists at the CIBG have done
with their hepatitis-B vaccine. Instead
of working with hepatitis-B virus,
they only use what is called the surface
antigen, which is one part of the virus
not responsible for the disease.
"Produce
this surface antigen in yeast and isolate
it. When you inject this antigen to
a person he'll be protected against
the virus," Dr Pedro very candidly
shares the open secret of what the
CIBG has been dealing with for the
last 20 years of existence. It has
introduced and developed all modern
molecular and biological methodologies,
in strict adherence with Good Manufacturing
Practices, validated and reviewed by
the authorities and even the WHO.
At
present we have introduced in our national
health system 18 products including
diagnostic products such as screening
kits for AIDS and hepatitis. "At
the 20 years of our existence, we can
proudly claim that there is not a single
Cuban family, which has not benefited
from one of our products," said
the unassuming Cuban scientist. "And
I can say there are many Pakistani
families to endorse our claims as well."
Though
CIBG has so far made no professional
or academic collaboration with any
of Pakistani institutions, but Dr Pedro
believes it will take sometime. He
also sees the increased cooperation
between the two poles-apart nations
as founding stone of a lasting friendship. "The
relationships between our countries
have been straightened after medical
brigade and even Cuban embassy has
opened up in Islamabad earlier this
year."
"Several
circumstances that have brought our
countries closers, one of them is the
services of Cuban medical brigade and
the efforts we are putting in with
our products," he maintained. "Our
countries have come closer with more
opportunities of collaboration. I have
read some Pakistani students going
to study medicine in Cuba. I am sure
our links will be strengthened in the
near future."
The
CIBG's products are already in India,
Iran, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Thailand
and Pakistan. And its managers are
in the process of registration in Indonesia,
Philippines and Sri Lanka. "Our
products in terms of quality are same
or even better, as is the case of hepatitis-B
vaccines, from the ones available from
the so-called the first world. We strictly
maintain quality," Dr Pedro claims
accentuating the fact that all is validated
by the WHO.
"Our
centre is an example that things can
be done in developing world. We have
many PhDs even at our centre but many
come from University of Havana. Many
of them have had postgraduate education
abroad mainly in Europe but that's
less necessary now. We're now more
experienced. Part of my own PhD was
done in Belgium and Germany before
the final presentation made in Havana."
There
is virtually no sale to developed Western
countries, but the CIBG scientists
believed that it could change in the
years to come if a line of drugs that
control cancer come on line. The experimental
drugs target epidermal growth factor,
a protein associated with the growth
and spread of tumors in a range of
cancers, including lung, breast and
colon cancer.
Cuba's
state-run Western Havana biotechnology
cluster encompasses around 50 research
and development centers organised under
the Council of State, led by President
Fidel Castro. Scientists are optimist
that spiraling revenue will make the
pharmaceuticals sector the island's
fifth-largest foreign exchange earner,
after tourism, remittances, the export
of professional services and nickel. |
