Cuba Is No Cancer Pariah
Associated Press Page 1 of 1
08:38 AM Jul. 16, 2004 PT
SAN FRANCISCO -- In a rare exception to long-standing American foreign policy, U.S. officials have approved CancerVax Corp.'s deal with the Cuban government to develop three experimental cancer drugs created in Havana.
It's the first such commercial deal approved by the U.S. government between an American biotechnology company and Cuba, which has spent $1 billion building a biotechnology program that is among the most advanced in the Third World. One of the three drugs included in the deal attacks a cancer cell in a novel way.
The biotechnology company announced the deal Thursday.
Government approval comes as President Bush toughens the 41-year-old economic embargo against the communist nation. On June 30, Bush implemented new rules that sharply reduce Cuba-bound dollar flows from the United States and curtail visits to Cuba by cultural and academic groups as well as Cuban-Americans.
CancerVax will develop the drugs in its Carlsbad, California laboratories and share profits with the Cuban government if any of the drugs are approved for sale in the United States. CancerVax is a small, money-losing company that doesn't have any drugs approved for sale. It just recently began selling its stock publicly.
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http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,64245,00.html?tw=rss.MED~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Tuesday November 25, 05:59 PM
U.S. company seeks to license Cuban cancer drug
By Anthony Boadle
HAVANA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - A Californian biotech company is seeking U.S. permission to license a promising Cuban cancer drug that is barred from the United States by trade sanctions, Cuban scientists said at a biotechnology conference this week.
CancerVax Corp , based in Carlsbad, California, wants to conduct joint research on cancer vaccines being developed in Havana, the director of Cuba's Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Luis Herrera, said.
CancerVax, which made its debut on Nasdaq (NASDAQ: news) on Oct. 30, said in its IPO prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, that it had signed letters of intent with Cuba's Center for Molecular Biology (CIM) and Canada's YM Biosciences relating to the license of an antibody that can slow or halt tumors by acting on the body's immune system.
The monoclonal antibody, which targets a cancer growth factor known as the HER-1 receptor, has been tested in Canada for head and neck cancer with positive results, and is undergoing trials in China and India, CIM director Augustin Lage told Reuters.
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Cuba has one of the most advanced biotechnology industries among developing countries, with 52 research institutions working on vaccines and therapies for a range of diseases from AIDS to Alzheimer's, and joint ventures in six countries.A hepatitis B vaccine developed by Cuba is already exported to more than 30 countries.(snip/...)
http://uk.biz.yahoo.com/031125/80/eewux.html(I've heard of Cuba's hepatitis B vaccine for
years, since I started trying to get informed about Cuba after Elián Gonzalez was held hostage in Miami by his CANF-controlled drunken great-uncle.)