Reply #19: Cuba has to pay higher prices to 3rd part suppliers and shipping is more expensive.. [View All]

[Mika]

.. because part of the Helms-Burton law requires that ships that have been in Cuban ports are forbidden to port in the US for 6 months, making round trip profitability more expensive and circuitous.

For example: If Bayer AG were to sell Aspirin to the Cuban ministry of health or any other entity in Cuba they would be banned from selling Aspirin in the US market. Now, which market do you think companies choose under this duress? So any Aspirin in Cuba has to be purchased through 3rd party resellers at a significant mark up, which a small poor island nation can't afford across the board for many products.

The sanctions aren't on Germany preventing Aspirin sales, they are on Bayer AG and Cuba. There are some loopholes and special permitting by the US Treasury Dept's OFAC, but not many are granted and there are considerable hoops to jump through to get it. Not many are issued.



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