Diaz-Canel inaugurated the Cephalosporin and Carbapenem Injectable Plant, the only producer of broad-spectrum antibiotics in Cuba.

The plant belongs to Empresa Farmacéutica 8 de Marzo, founded 41 years ago by Vilma Espín (a women’s leader).

‘It is a plant with state-of-the-art technology,’ the presidency reported on Twitter.

‘Building a plant like this in a year as difficult as this one has been a feat,’ the head of State noted.

The cephalosporin plant will produce a series of injectable beta-lactam antibiotics that are widely used in intensive therapies.

Among them are the antimicrobials meropenem, ceftriaxone (rocephin), cefotaxime, cefazolin, cefuroxime, ceftazidime and cefepime.

Injectables such as meropenem, rocephin and cefotaxime are essential antibiotics for hospital use and they have a broad spectrum of treatment of bacterial infections, pneumonias and meningitis, among other diseases.

Importing these antibiotics costs Cuba between seven and eight million dollars a year, and producing them here will reduce costs.

jg/arm/ro/joe.