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The list of supplies and medications that Cuba requested to receive from Mexico as part of a relief effort includes 50 mg sildenafil, a drug commercially known as Viagra, commonly used to treat erectile dysfunction.
This detail generated reactions and criticisms on social media. The request appears within the “Solidarity Collection for Cuba” initiated by Morena, after President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a second shipment of humanitarian aid to the island.
The Morena initiative called for a collection of donations to send food, supplies, medicines, hygiene items, lighting resources, and basic tools to Cuba, with designated centers set up in 30 regions to receive contributions.
The context, according to the information available in the document, is the energy and economic crisis in Cuba, which is linked in the text to the blockade imposed by the United States.
The point that sparked the debate: sildenafil on the list
The published list for the collection notably includes sildenafil, which sparked comments on social media due to its common association with erectile dysfunction.
The document explicitly identifies the drug within the "Humanitarian Supplies List" as Sildenafil 50 mg coated tablets.
The list would have been a record sent by the Embassy of Cuba, and it includes dozens of cardiovascular medications, antibiotics, analgesics, steroids, antivirals, antithrombotics, and others.
Although its most well-known use is for erectile dysfunction, sildenafil belongs to the class of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors and works by relaxing blood vessels to facilitate blood flow in certain parts of the body.
In addition to sexual health, the medication is also used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) by helping to relax blood vessels in the lungs and improve the functional capacity of patients.
Medications, equipment, and more: the order size
The list circulated for the collection is not limited to drugs. It also includes:
- Expensive medical equipment (for example, ultrasounds, analyzers, autoclaves, neonatal ventilators, and monitors, among others).
- Other medical supplies (trocars, catheters, and various clinical materials).
- Foods (grains, canned goods, long-lasting products, and baby food).
- Personal hygiene (toothpaste, soap, shampoo, sanitary towels, and baby items).
- Lighting (flashlights, solar lamps, candles, batteries, cells, and radios).
- Tools for basic home repairs (hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, etc.).
General recommendations for donations are also included: they should be new, sealed/packaged, free of glass containers, and easy to transport.
The criticisms came swiftly. On X, on Morena's account, Mexicans pointed out that their own hospitals lacked medications and supplies to be sending to other countries.
"Mexico is a country that always helps, but come on, there are no medications in hospitals, they ask you to bring your own supplies for surgery, yesterday a child was killed for going out to buy a bottle for a cat, my sales advisor was kidnapped and the police refuse to help," commented an internet user.
Others also noted that the support from the Morenista party is "selective."
"For Cuba, there are speeches, support, and applause. For Culiacán, months of violence and silence. It seems that international propaganda matters more than the safety of Mexicans. First, they boast about helping abroad… while here the country burns. Let us not forget who decided to look the other way," wrote a user.
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