Four decades after its foundation, the Empresa Farmacéutica “8 de Marzo” continues to be the only producer of beta-lactam antibiotics in Cuba, a responsibility it has held efficiently during all these years, in spite of the difficulties due to the difficult economic situation of the country and the obstacles imposed from abroad.
When the heroine of the Revolution, Vilma Espín Guillois, inaugurated this organization, she expressed not only the wish that it would be an organization where Cuban women could work and do science, but also that they had the great responsibility of covering national demand and exporting our products to bring foreign currency into the country.
Farmacéutica “8 de Marzo” is currently: a company capable of guaranteeing the medicines necessary for the National Health System, increasing exports, developing training actions in each of the manufacturing processes, maintaining different business events such as: Science and Technique Forum, Quality Committees, where innovation, talent and commitment of the collective are expressed. They have developed four national and two international events for the study, prevention and control of microbial resistance, incorporated in the National Health Program, demonstrating this collective’s responsibility to contribute to Cuba’s economic development as well as guarantee the welfare and health of its people.
Initially, the organization had only two production plants: one was dedicated to the semi-synthesis of Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, sodium salts of Oxacillin, Cloxacillin, Dicloxacillin and Methicillin, from their common nucleus 6-aminopenicillanic acid, obtained from Penicillin G Potassium. To retrieve the solvents used in the synthesis and reduce the plant's production costs, there was a unit for purifying the reactive solvents or a solvent rectification column. The second was dedicated to producing drugs in two pharmaceutical forms: capsules and suspension.
All the production of this company was analytically supported by scientific and technological support which guarantee laboratories for chemical-physical and microbiological analysis, and development of finished forms. guaranteed by the laboratories for chemical-physical and microbiological analysis and development of the finished forms.
In 1985, a multipurpose synthesis factory was installed, donated by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in order to manufacture most of the pharmaceutical raw materials, such as analgesics, anesthetics, antibiotics, antiparasitics, diuretics, neuroleptics, psycho-pharmaceuticals, among others, to supply the rest of the laboratories in the country in charge of producing their finished forms.
This establishment was also devoted to introducing the scientific results from several research centers and universities to implement their main achievements, making this multipurpose plant the hope for the industrial development of research in pharmaceutical chemistry.
In 1993, a plant for the production of injectables was launched with the aim of obtaining Sodium Ampicillin from the Ampicillin Trihydrate manufactured in the synthesis plant. Other products such as Chloramphenicol hemisuccinate and Hydrocortisone hemisuccinate were also transformed into sodium salt.
The following year, it focused exclusively on the industrial production of injectables in sterile powder form, which includes representatives of the first four generations of cephalosporins, as well as Meropenen and Aztreonan. All were developed by the company's research area.
Currently, the company only produces antibiotics in three pharmaceutical forms: powder for oral suspension (bottle), capsules (blister pack of 12 capsules) and sterile powder for injection (vials), a total of 22 products, and continues to work on the development of other drugs.
The work done by the Empresa Farmacéutica “8 de Marzo” is the pride of its workers and of all Cuba, who see this organization as an extremely important pillar for the National Health System.
Contact
Ave Monumental Km 22 1/2, Cotorro, La Habana.
+53 7215 2197
negocios@8marzo.biocubafarma.cu
8marzo.biocubafarma.cu
Twitter: @Farmacéutica8M
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