Cuba Built Its Own Pneumonia Vaccine for Kids

Cuba's Finlay Vaccine Institute built its own pneumonia vaccine, Quimi-Vio, after the world-market versions proved too expensive — each imported dose cost around $50. Registered in 2024, it guards against seven strains of the pneumococcus bacteria behind deadly pneumonia and meningitis in children, and trials showed 93% of young children in Cienfuegos received it between 2017 and 2019.