In 2007, medicine came second only to nickel in the list of Cuba’s top exports. This is the third year that medicine has surpassed more traditional exports such as sugar, tobacco and rum.
Bohemia online magazine reported, “According to figures from the Basic Industry Ministry’s pharmaceutical group, Cuba earned some $350 million in 2007 from the sale abroad of some 180 medicines.”
Exported medicines generic and biotechnology products and include vaccines for type B meningococcal meningitis, hepatitis B and influenza.
South Africa, China, Venezuela, India and Vietnam make up a partial list of countries that Cuba is currently working with to provide medicine, treatments and medical training.
Cuba’s pharmaceutical industry is not controlled by corporate monopolies driven by profit maximization. Rather, centralized planning and social ownership of its means of production have allowed Cuba to prioritize health care and become a world leader in the medical industry.
