“The blockade is not an abstraction: it means raw materials that fail to arrive, obstructed financing, and equipment that remains inaccessible—all of which are needed to produce the medicines our people require. The blockade exists and is real,” the institution emphasized in a post on the social network Facebook.

According to the report titled “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial, and financial blockade imposed by the United States of America against Cuba,” BioCubaFarma incurred losses linked to the blockade amounting to 368,000 US dollars per day between March 1, 2025, and February 28, 2026.

Of the 395 drugs that Cuba produces as part of its essential health formulary, 300 are currently unavailable due to difficulties in accessing raw materials and pharmaceutical inputs. This reality affects the entire country, as pharmacy shelves everywhere remain empty.

Between March 2025 and February 2026, 34 international banking institutions suspended or refused to conduct transactions involving Cuba, citing a fear of secondary sanctions. They closed accounts or rejected transfers intended for purposes that included the purchase of medicines.

The remaining banks have increased their fees, and shipping companies have stopped accepting new orders bound for the Caribbean island.

Throughout 2025, the medical evaluation of 140 patients was compromised due to a shortage of phytohemagglutinin—a reagent produced by the US-based firm Sigma-Aldrich. A persistent difficulty is the acquisition of medical technology that originates in the United States, or that contains more than 10 percent of components from that country.

This policy necessitates the use of intermediaries and drives up prices—at times to the point of becoming unaffordable.

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