The “Europe-Cuba Diabetes Network” proposed by EXCEMED is as a unique opportunity to build a multidisciplinary partnership for scientific and cultural exchange between Europe - a leader in research and pharmacotherapy in diabetes - and Cuba - an historically isolated country which has emerged as a Latin American of excellence in diabetes care despite the paradigm of low-care in low-income countries.

The treatment of severe ulcers in diabetic foot is an area of active and successful research in Cuba. The nerve damage, and the vascular complications observed in people with diabetes mellitus, increases the risk of foot ulcerations, infections and amputation. The risk of amputation that is faced by people with diabetes can be more than 25 times greater than that in people without diabetes. However, with good management a large proportion of amputations can be avoided.

Providing effective treatment of severe diabetic foot ulcers remains a major challenge. In fact, severe diabetic foot care is still considered an unmet medical need affecting around 6.3% of people with diabetes globally, and is among the most invalidating complications of diabetes. Thus, novel therapeutical approaches are needed.

BioCubaFarma's Heberprot-P demonstrated a reduction in amputations due to DFU by 78%. Nevertheless, although approved in Europe since 2017, no recommendation is present in the IWGDF guidelines (2019 update) for the use of intralesional EGF. This suggests that further collaborative research and discussion about the pros and cons of such an approach is needed. Therefore, a scientific collaboration between Europe and Cuba is needed to promote further research on this hot topic.