• Submitted by: manso
• Society
• 08 / 14 / 2011

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2011.08.13 - 11:13:36 / radiorebelde.icrt.cu. Havana, Cuba.- The Drugs Research and Development Center (CIDEM, Spanish acronyms), based in Havana, achieved the introduction and generalization in Cuba of Atorvastatin, a costly drug used for lowering blood cholesterol and preventing strokes.

M.S. Iverlis Diaz Polanco, a researcher of the institution, told ACN the pills reduce cholesterol, lipids and triglycerides blood levels and therefore lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases, the first cause of death in the world.

Since 2009, Atorvastatin has been part of Novatex Laboratories’ production plan and it is currently available in all hospitals across the country and in a number of community drug stores.

Diaz Polanco said the drug is widely commercialized, though it has been never imported to Cuba and it is quoted at very high prices in the world market.

The researcher said once it was developed in Cuba, it has generated more than 5 million Cuban pesos, while the income for exports mounts to more than 10 million dollars.

According to Diaz Polanco, the local production of the pills allows greater availability in the explained that national stock of medicaments, reducing morbidity and improving the patient’s quality of life since it is a very effective product with little side effects.

CIDEM received recently the Cuban Academy of Sciences’ National Prize of Technological Innovation 2010, on the medicament. (ACN)