One does not frequently hear of Cuba when discussing today's integrating global economy. Cuba appears isolated, politically and economically, mainly due to trade restrictions placed on it by the US in the 1960's. No wonder, says the author of this Straits Times article, the world is surprised to learn of Cuba's flourishing biotech industry which has contributed much to the field of biotechnology and medicine. Since its establishment in the mid-1980's, the Cuban biotech sector has developed a meningitis B vaccine, and today exports the world's most effective hepatitis B vaccine to more than 30 countries. Recently, it developed the first synthetic vaccine for the prevention of pneumonia and meningitis, which is much cheaper than what is offered by Western pharmaceutical companies. Poised to provide anti-cancer therapies to the European market by 2008, Cuba is also eagerly looking to enter the western market, and many observers are cheering it on. – YaleGlobal
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=3193
Its kind of hard to imply something is a secret if its available in more then 30 countries, never the less, if its developing such vaccines, it wouldn't have problems using the profits of licensing them to others to bring in cash.
If Cuba is isolated economically, producing cures, is the easiest way to break it. The question here is how much of this is hype and how much of it isn't? Poised to provide anti-cancer therapies by 2008? I'll believe it when it happens, for a country that has had Castro and his vision around for so long and has established a bio-tech sector in the mid-80's, they should not be doing catch up, they should be the world leaders.
No one finds it odd, that Cuba which is supposed to be isolated, makes it claims of success, with proof, that they are not isolated (references to over 30 countries, European markets, western market?).
This is a cheerleader puff piece where the author did not have to good sense to avoid contradicting themselves.