Havana is developing accessible therapeutic options for the population, given the high prices of cancer treatments globally and the economic war waged by the White House.
August 25, 2026 — teleSUR
The Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM) in Cuba is conducting studies for a new cancer treatment, given the impossibility of accessing the usual therapy with pembrolizumab, due to the economic, commercial and financial blockade of the United States .
In a social media post, the CIM stated that pembrolizumab treatment is highly effective in helping the body’s natural defenses recognize and fight cancer cells more effectively, but its high cost and the embargo against Cuba make it inaccessible. This led them to develop 2C12 , a similar drug that is now ready for patient trials .
In this first stage, the clinical study will be conducted in several hospitals in Havana with people who have advanced melanoma , that is, cases of skin cancer that cannot be treated by surgery or that have spread to other parts of the body, the CIM reported.
According to information published in the local newspaper Granma , the Cuban therapeutic candidate has similar characteristics to pembrolizumab , a drug used internationally in certain cancer treatments by stimulating the immune response against tumor cells. The efficacy and safety of 2C12 will be determined through clinical trials .
Recently, Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Public Health, Dr. Carilda Peña García, stated that the intensified Washington embargo has affected healthcare protocols in the country. Fuel shortages and financial obstacles to acquiring supplies are also hindering the production of medicines and vaccines for the prevention of communicable diseases.
Cuba’s Ministry of Public Health has repeatedly denounced that US sanctions affect the care of cancer patients by preventing access to drugs for cancer treatment and also to supplies for their local production.
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On January 29, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order authorizing punitive tariffs on imports from countries that supply oil to Cuba, after declaring a state of emergency due to the alleged Cuban threat to US national security.
The Cuban government claims that Washington is using the energy blockade to stifle its economy, make living conditions unbearable for its population , and provoke destabilization and a change of political regime.
Author: teleSUR – abl – JDO
