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CIMAB is the commercial arm of Havana's Center of Molecular Immunology, the Cuban institute that created the EGFR antibody nimotuzumab and the lung cancer vaccine CIMAvax-EGF.
The Center of Molecular Immunology (CIM) in Havana develops monoclonal antibodies and therapeutic vaccines, and CIMAB S.A. is the company that licenses and exports them. Nimotuzumab (h-R3), a humanised EGFR antibody with intermediate affinity that spares normal skin, is approved in Cuba, India (as BIOMAb EGFR with Biocon), China and other countries for head and neck cancer, glioma and nasopharyngeal cancer, mostly with radiotherapy. CIM also created CIMAvax-EGF, a vaccine against epidermal growth factor for non-small cell lung cancer, and the anti-idiotype vaccine racotumomab.
Nimotuzumab is a Cuban-developed antibody against EGFR approved in India, China, Cuba and other countries for head and neck cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer and brain tumours, usually with radiotherapy; it causes far less rash than cetuximab but has never been approved in the United States or Europe.