“She exhausted all possible treatments in the U.S. and decided to go to Cuba to try a cancer vaccine available there called Cimavax. After starting the medication, her breathing improved and energy was restored.”
CANCER TREATMENT FROM CUBA
Posted By Adrienne on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 in Health Care Innovation
Cuba claims it a long history of providing high-quality care. Cuban researchers began working on a new cancer treatmentin the 1990s because of the high rate of lung cancer there.
After chemotherapy and radiation are completed and failed, patients are willing to try treatments not approved by the FDA. A retired OBGYN was diagnosed with lung cancer a year ago. She exhausted all possible treatments in the U.S. and decided to go to Cuba to try a cancer vaccine available there called Cimavax. After starting the medication, her breathing improved and energy was restored.
Recently, Cuba has become a hot tourist spot with its beaches and vibrant night life, as well as a booming biotechnology industry. Americans are now allowed to travel there if the purpose fits an approved category – seeking medical care is not one of them. Cimavax does not prevent cancer, but is said to halt its growth and prevent recurrence. It targets the protein called epidermal growth factor (EGF), stimulating the body’s own immune system to produce antibodies to bind to EGF, keeping it from feeding the cancer cells. This treatment has been available since 2011 in Cuba, as well as a few countries in South America and Eastern Europe.
Last month, the FDA authorized a clinical trial of Cimavax. The trial could take years, so dozens of patients have gone to Havana and smuggled vials of vaccine back. Patients visit La Pradera, an international health center catering to medical tourists in Havana, and receive four initial injections. They then are to continue periodic injections at home for several months. The four-shot dose costs $100 to manufacture, yet patients will pay $850 to $1,500 per dose.
Cuban researchers hope that the vaccine will eventually be used on other head and neck cancers.
www.nytimes.com/2016/11/15/health/cancer-vaccine-cuba-medical-tourism.html?_r=0
Jacobs, Sally. “A Souvenir Smuggled Home From Cuba: A Cancer Vaccine.” Health. The New York Times, 14 Nov 2016. Web. 15 Nov 2016.
