Cuba will begin new clinical trials on a drug developed by a national laboratory to treat Alzheimer’s disease, which is among the leading causes of death on the island, the health ministry said in a report on Friday.
“In Cuba, a clinical trial will begin in the coming months in all the provinces of the country to test the efficacy and safety” of the drug NeuroEpo in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease, the Ministry of Health said. Public Health on its website, without further details on this test phase.
The drug has obtained “good results”
The drug, a nasally administered formula developed by the Center for Molecular Immunology (CIM), has shown “good results in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases”, he added.
“In Cuba, dementia is one of the main causes of death and it is the one that requires the most attention and care in the elderly,” the ministry said.
11.2 million inhabitants and 160,000 people with dementia
Among the island’s 11.2 million inhabitants, there are currently 160,000 people with dementia, according to the report.
There were approximately 46.8 million people with dementia worldwide in 2015, a figure that could reach 65 million in 2030. In Latin America and the Caribbean, this figure could rise from 3.4 million to 4.1 million in 2030, according to figures provided by the document.
Cuba is facing a rapid aging of its population, accentuated by the migratory exodus, especially of young people, who are fleeing the worst economic crisis of the last 30 years. According to Cuba’s statistical yearbook, more than 21% of the island’s population was over the age of 60 in 2020.