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At an event in Hanoi organized by the Cuban Embassy, Dr. Santiago Dueñas Carrera, Vice Chairman of BioCubaFarma, said Cuba’s biotechnology products—particularly in biomedical and pharmaceutical fields—are available in more than 70 countries. He said representatives from both sides view the Cuba–Vietnam friendship as a foundation for deeper cooperation, especially in science and technology.
Dueñas Carrera said Cuba has built an integrated research and production model that supports domestic needs while also serving exports. BioCubaFarma, he noted, has a workforce of more than 19,000 professionals and operates under strict international standards. This, he said, enables the group to transfer technologies to 10 countries and train partner personnel.
He highlighted Cuba’s innovation capability as a combination of absorbing external technologies and developing pioneering self-made products, including breakthrough biologics for rare diseases.
Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes said Vietnam–Cuba biomedicine cooperation is a concrete step toward implementing Party resolutions on science, technology, innovation and digital transformation, as well as resolutions on health protection and people’s well-being. He added that the cooperation goes beyond technology transfer and could help develop new technologies in Vietnam to support healthcare needs and broader socio-economic development.
Genfarma was established in 2025 as a joint venture between BioCubaFarma and Vietnamese partners. The formation is presented as a milestone for substantive cooperation as Vietnam seeks greater self-reliance in vaccine, drug, and biotech production.
Genfarma is described as both a business unit and a strategic platform for receiving and transferring Cuban-origin technologies for domestic production in Vietnam. Through the venture, Vietnamese–Cuban scientists will collaborate to develop medicines in-country, using shared resources to produce specialty drugs domestically—aiming to reduce dependence on external supply and lower treatment costs.
Market reports cited in the article show Vietnam’s pharmaceutical market grew from about $2.7 billion in 2015 to $7 billion in 2025, with expectations to reach $10 billion in 2026. Establishing and developing Genfarma is described as advantageous for Cuban therapies and technologies to expand their market share in Vietnam.
Genfarma aims to produce medicines for chronic diseases including cancer, diabetes, cognitive decline in the elderly, and immune deficiencies. The project is described as a priority for both governments’ biotech cooperation to serve health needs in Vietnam and Cuba.
Nearly a year after its establishment, Genfarma is in the investment-completion phase and is awaiting certification for its plant in Hoa Lac High-Tech Park. The company employs about 70 people, including 11 Cuban experts.
The article states that Genfarma has registered one cancer treatment product in Vietnam and will begin domestic production. It also says that in 2026 the joint venture will absorb additional technologies and train Vietnamese staff to support successful technology transfer.
BioCubaFarma, founded in 2012, is Cuba’s national biotech and pharmaceutical group responsible for roughly 50% of the country’s research activity. The group develops, produces, and commercializes high-tech products such as medicines, diagnostic systems, and medical devices, with the aim of improving public health and generating high-value exports.
Products mentioned include VA-Mengoc-BC (a vaccine against meningococcal disease), CIMAvax (a cancer treatment), Heberprot-P (for diabetic foot ulcers), Hebermin (for tissue regeneration), and Nimotuzumab (a monoclonal antibody for cancer).
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