Interview with the General Director of CIGB, Dr. Marta Ayala Ávila
We have seen that the results of Jusvinza on the sequelae of Chikungunya virus infection have been very favorable. We have also discussed how other clinical studies continue, such as the phase III trial for rheumatoid arthritis, which is one of the studies we are completing this year and should also lead to definitive sanitary registration.
There are also clinical studies in community-acquired pneumonia. And the mechanisms of action that have been demonstrated for Jusvinza explain how it could also be used in other diseases where the immune system becomes dysregulated.
Furthermore, in the management of this project – which is a priority project for CIGB and BioCubaFarma – we have also worked on regulatory and production elements, always with the support of the Cuban regulatory authority: the Center for State Control of Medicines, Equipment and Medical Devices (CECMED). Its production is now being completed at the CIGB-Mariel Plants, which, as is known, is one of the recently founded institutions, with a high production standard. The active pharmaceutical ingredient has also been manufactured here at CIGB in Havana. So, at this moment, so far this year, in the first quarter of 2026, we have delivered 31,000 vials of Jusvinza to the National Health System, which represents three times more than what we distributed last year.
We have also been calling on the medical community to establish a protocol for the use of this medication, so that two patients can be seen at the same time in the consultation and make better use of the drug, because it is clear that we are in a time when supplies are not abundant; we have financial limitations and others due to the blockade we are under. It would also be a tremendous benefit, both for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and for those convalescing from the Chikungunya virus, to be able to use the medication.
From the perspective of the project and product portfolio, Jusvinza represents a very important hope for the health of the Cuban people; but we also want to begin working with foreign partners to see how we can turn it into a product that can be exported.
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