HAVANA.-  More than 300,000 patients from 26 countries have been benefited in the last 10 years with the Heberprot-P, the only product in the world for complex diabetic foot ulcers that shows remarkable results and avoids amputation in most cases.

Doctor of Science Manuel Raíces, researcher at the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Cigb) and founder of the institution that developed the novel drug, explained to the Cuban News Agency that in 2018 some 12,300 Cuban patients were treated with the Heberprot-P.

This maintained the expectation of the impact of the therapy by reducing the relative risk of amputation by about 71%, since on December 31 more than three thousand Cubans were able to celebrate the year without having the burden of mutilation, he said.

In Cuba alone, the work that began with a clinic in 2007 and today is in 458 health institutions belonging to the primary, secondary and tertiary care of the country has repercussions in more than 17 thousand avoided amputations, said the eminent scientist of Cigb, of the business group BioCubaFarma.

Manuel Raíces predicted that the program is also consolidated in Venezuela and extends to other nations such as Mexico where diabetes is the leading cause of death, and with the Cuban experience and this therapy with the Heberprot-P can be reduced in more than 50 thousand amputations a year.

In Slovakia, where the implementation in hospitals is giving very beneficial results, we are proud because we can say that we are talking about a South-North transfer, which is doing good and achieving that in the European Union is changing the course of life of many people affected, said the interviewee.

The member of the Cigb's promotion and communication group said that in 2013, Heberprot-P was included in the basic table of medicines and practically from that date its widespread use in Cuba is already a norm.

Registered in more than twenty states, this drug offers several therapeutic advantages due to the accelerated healing and serves all national health systems to reduce amputations of the lower extremities, concluded Dr. Raíces.