A therapeutic vaccine existing only in Cuba. It is where the retired gynecologist, Zuby Malik, decided to go to treat herself since she could not take advantage anymore of the treatments available in the US for her lung cancer. After her, other cancer patients are following the same unlikely trail, sometimes not even telling their doctor.
Cimavax is a therapeutic vaccine developed not to prevent cancer, but to halt its growth and keep it from recurring in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. The vaccine stimulates the body’s immune system to make antibodies that bind a protein called epidermal growth factor, or E.G.F., preventing it from fueling the cancer’s growth.
Last month, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York announced that the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, had received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration( an American Institution that regulates food and drugs) to conduct a clinical trial of Cimavax, but the trial could take years before being approved and used in the US.