Patients living with HIV in Havana reported receiving expired antiretroviral medications at state pharmacies as the health system faces supply shortages and difficulties monitoring patients’ conditions. File Photo by Erensto Mastrascusa/EPA
Patients living with HIV in Havana reported receiving expired antiretroviral medications at state pharmacies as the health system faces supply shortages and difficulties monitoring patients’ conditions.
Activist Evelyn Pineda, who lives with HIV along with her 10-year-old son, told Radio Martí that medications are often unavailable and that when they do arrive, “you go to pick them up and they are expired.”
“The ones they gave me now for the child, for the month of February, have an expiration date of December 2025,” she explained.
Workers at the state pharmacy located on Aranguren Street in Guanabacoa said the drugs are part of international donations intended for antiretroviral treatment. Staff said they can be consumed “as long as they remain sealed and the medication does not change color.”
Pineda added that other patients have reported similar situations. According to her, some accept the medications due to the lack of alternatives.
However, the United States Food and Drug Administration warns that the guaranteed potency of a drug ends on its expiration date and recommends not using expired medications due to the risk of reduced effectiveness or possible adverse effects.
Pineda said patients in Cuba also cannot evaluate the impact of these medications because the health system faces limitations in conducting T-cell tests used to measure immune system status in people with HIV.
“We don’t know whether the medication works or not because they do not give us checkups,” she said.
She added that patients are not being taken for consultations at the Pedro Kourí Institute of Tropical Medicine “because they say they do not have fuel.”
Another patient in Havana who participates in a clinical trial for an HIV vaccine said those in that program receive different treatment.
“I pick up my medications at the pharmacy of Ameijeiras Hospital, which is why they are prioritized, because of the vaccine program,” he explained. “Every six months they conduct a full examination.”
In contrast, Orlando Ramírez, a resident of the Havana municipality of Diez de Octubre, said he currently receives medications for three months but with expiration dates that are close or already past.
“Last time I noticed they had been expired for almost four months,” Ramírez said. “In this case they expire in May.”
Ramírez said the use of expired medications can cause failures in antiretroviral treatment.
“They greatly lower the body’s defenses and increase the viral load,” he said. “I had problems due to lack of medications and expired medications.”
The complaints come amid a deep economic and energy crisis that began intensifying in 2024 and has worsened in recent months, affecting basic services such as the health system, education and food supply.
Cuba entered its fourth consecutive night of protests Tuesday, with pot-banging demonstrations and rallies spreading from Havana to other provinces. The unrest is driven by prolonged blackouts that in some areas leave residents without electricity for more than 20 hours a day and in others can last for several consecutive days.
The protests began Friday, March 7, days after the collapse of the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant on March 5 triggered a chain reaction in the national electric system. The failure simultaneously left more than 68% of the island without electricity, the worst blackout recorded in the country’s history, according to the state company Unión Eléctrica.
The energy crisis has also triggered unusual demonstrations, including a peaceful protest by students on the steps of the University of Havana. Students said recurrent power outages and rising internet costs are affecting their ability to study.
Historic March moments through the years
Founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and tennis great Billie Jean King (C) smiles with representatives after speaking during an annual Women’s History Month event in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX in Statuary Hall at the U.S .Capitol in Washington on March 9, 2022. Women’s History Month is celebrated every March. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
