June 30, 2020–MEDICC mourns the recent passing of Dr. Rafael Perez Cristiá, Director of Cuba’s Center for State Control of Medicines and Medical Devices (CECMED) since 2000, and a member of MEDICC’s Joint Academic Council. CECMED, the Cuban equivalent of the FDA in the US, oversees the regulation and control of Cuban biotechnology and pharma products. Under Dr. Perez Cristiá’s guidance, CECMED has contributed to Cuba’s recognition as one of the top 20 countries with a reliable regulatory authority, overseeing the process of development and distribution of many unique therapies and vaccines. In particular, CECMED was recognized by PAHO as a medical regulatory reference center for the Americas, and certified by WHO as a national regulatory center for vaccines.

“Dr. Pérez Cristiá was a scientist devoted to Cuba’s health and biotech development, and his wisdom and good humor will be sorely missed,” said Dr. Peter Bourne, Chair of MEDICC’s Board of Directors. “Cuba’s biotechnology industry is based on the principle that science should be focused on improving population health and was designed primarily to resolve health problems,” he noted.

Dr. Pérez Cristiá was an important leader as Cuba, a small and resource-scarce country, became a global biotech powerhouse and biotechnology evolved as a key component of Cuba’s public health system that provides universal health care for its citizens. “Safe and effective medicines and technologies available to all, especially the most vulnerable, is one of the country’s most important public health strategies, in which Dr. Pérez Cristiá was a key decisionmaker,” added Dr. C. William Keck, MEDICC’s Executive Director.

See MEDICC Review’s 2018 interview with Dr. Pérez Cristiá.