Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla took to his X account to boast about the therapeutic vaccine candidate HEBERSaVax, hailing it as a testament to scientific sovereignty. However, his announcement was met with a torrent of criticism from Cubans, who highlighted the central contradiction of the regime: touting biotechnology advances while the population struggles to find basic medications like aspirin in pharmacies.
On Monday, Rodríguez attributed Cuba's shortage of supplies to the "U.S. policy of economic strangulation and warfare," presenting HEBERSaVax—a vaccine candidate against solid tumors developed by Havana's Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB)—as evidence of "determination, resilience, creativity, and independence" in the face of imperialism.
The response in the comments was swift and scathing.
"Liar. In Cuba, there's not even aspirin. Go fool the few gullible ones who believe you," commented one user. Another was more blunt: "You export everything and leave nothing for the people. Go away, criminals." A third succinctly captured the collective outrage: "Cuba is a failed state; three medications won’t solve the thousands of problems we face."
Some comments included images of patients being transported in horse-drawn carts: "This level of misery isn't new; it's been like this forever," noted one user.
The Health Crisis Behind the Biotech Facade
The irony pointed out by Cubans is backed by concrete data. Just ten days prior to Rodríguez's post, Miguel Díaz-Canel admitted in an interview that "approximately 50% of those drugs couldn't be distributed due to a lack of fuel," and that the essential medicines list was affected "by more than 67%."
Cuba's medication crisis is systemic: of the 651 essential drugs, 461 are either completely unavailable or have low coverage. Over 100,000 patients await surgeries, including 11,000 children. Around five million chronic patients lack vital treatments.
Infant mortality nearly tripled from 2018 to 2025, rising from 3.9 to 9.9 per 1,000 live births, and the survival rate for children with cancer fell from 85% to 65%, according to international agencies.
Biotech Boasts Amidst Domestic Shortages
Meanwhile, the regime continues to export vaccines and sell medications abroad: Cuba sold pharmaceuticals to Mexico worth over $84 million in 2023 and 2024, sent doses of Abdala to Nicaragua, and signed pharmaceutical production agreements with Brazil and Vietnam in 2025. In Havana, the black market remains the only access point to medications for millions.
HEBERSaVax, also known as CIGB-247, has been in clinical trials for nearly a decade and is designed to treat hepatocarcinoma and ovarian cancer. Despite official claims that it is "one of a kind in the world," it remains an investigational candidate and not an approved medication for general use.
The contradiction pointed out by Cubans to Rodríguez is not new: for years, the regime has used biotechnological achievements as a propaganda shield to divert attention from an unprecedented health crisis, which the Minister of Public Health, José Ángel Portal Miranda, acknowledged before the National Assembly in July 2025.
Understanding Cuba's Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Challenges
What is HEBERSaVax?
HEBERSaVax is a therapeutic vaccine candidate developed by Havana's Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, aimed at treating solid tumors such as hepatocarcinoma and ovarian cancer.
Why are Cubans critical of the government's healthcare claims?
Cubans criticize the government for promoting biotechnological successes while failing to address basic healthcare shortages, such as the lack of essential medicines, due to systemic issues and economic policies.
What is the current status of Cuba's essential drug availability?
Cuba faces a severe shortage, with 461 out of 651 essential drugs being either completely unavailable or having low coverage, affecting millions of patients relying on these medications.