As part of Plan Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced that a decree will be published this week in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF) to encourage international pharmaceutical companies to invest, starting in 2026, in projects for the production of medicines and medical supplies in Mexico, to position the country as a leader in the pharmaceutical industry.
“We want this purchasing power, necessary to serve the people of Mexico, to help us attract companies from India, the United States, different parts of Europe, Latin America, Brazil, and elsewhere to come and invest in Mexico to produce medicines here. This will make them even more affordable. It will also create jobs and will involve research institutes in developing medicines for diseases in Mexico that are characteristic of tropical areas, such as dengue,” she explained during the morning press conference, “Las mañaneras del pueblo” (The People’s Morning Press Conference).
He explained that the objective is primarily for investments from international pharmaceutical companies to be made in the Economic Development Poles for Well-being (PODECOBI), and also to be linked to Laboratorios de Biológicos y Reactivos de México (Birmex), so that this public company can recover the production capacity it lost during the neoliberal period.
“We want all of this to be linked to Birmex, which is the company that historically manufactured vaccines for the people of Mexico and that practically disappeared during the neoliberal period, and which has many facilities with the capacity. Therefore, what will be published is so that, for the 2026 purchase, which will be for 2027 and 2028, qualification points will be awarded to all those who will participate in the bidding processes, acquisitions, and invitations to have plants installed in Mexico. That is the objective,” he emphasized.
He added that, with this, companies investing in Mexico will have a greater chance of winning the bids held in 2026, provided they meet quality requirements and obtain the necessary permits from the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), promote development and research, and offer prices that allow for resource savings.
Health Secretary David Kershenobich Stalnikowitz explained that the plan includes the installation of bioincubators for the pharmaceutical industry to make Mexico a benchmark for the production of medicines, medical devices, and vaccines through innovation, talent development, the development of the chemical industry, biomedical engineering, and the promotion of intellectual property.
The Undersecretary of Integration and Development of the Health Sector, Eduardo Clark García Dobarganes, explained that the decree will encourage investment in Mexico through the consolidated purchase of medicines and medical supplies, to which the Government allocates approximately 300 billion pesos (mp). Every two years, the government will allocate approximately 300 billion pesos (mp). In the case of off-patent medicines, points will be awarded to those who demonstrate investments in Mexico, including supply chain plants, factories, laboratories, warehouses, and the development of innovative products. This will give significant preference to companies that choose to establish operations in Mexico. Meanwhile, in the case of patented and single-source medicines, an investment commitment will be linked to the purchase amount in the negotiations. This will ensure that pharmaceutical companies establish a productive presence in the country. To this end, a Pharmaceutical Investment Promotion Commission will be created.
The head of Cofepris, Armida Zúñiga Estrada, emphasized that the regulatory agency she oversees is transforming to become more agile, transparent, and internationally harmonized. To this end, work is being done to simplify and digitize 100 percent of procedures with the support of the Digital Transformation and Telecommunications Agency (ATDT), with 60 percent progress to date. Processing times for clinical research are being reduced; the DIGIPRiS platform for clinical trials is being modernized; the Regulatory Framework for Medicines and Medical Devices is being updated; and a strategic collaboration is being established with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) to streamline patent and health registration processes.
Source: OEM
