Mexico - Which factors are increasing market opportunities in Mexico?

Pharmaceutical regulatory developments and market growth, particularly in the public sector, are attracting multinationals.

There are a number of regulatory developments that are currently transforming the market, particularly a draft to regulate biologic and biosimilar medicines, new guidelines to regulate antibiotics, regulatory developments for manufacturing, a new registration renewal process and regulatory developments for medical samples. The Federal National Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) also aims to increase its participation in international forums and is working closer with the EMA and FDA.

Pharmaceutical regulatory advances are making the market more attractive, in spite of containment factors such as tighter out-of-pocket pharmaceutical expenditure as unemployment has risen and economic conditions have toughened up; a number of key pharmaceutical and biologic products losing their patents in the next years; and an infant bioequivalent generic sector which is expected to shoot up from 2010 onwards. The market, however, will be encouraged by increasing sales in the public sector, particularly derived from further coverage by the Popular Insurance Programme (SP).

Further reading - An in-depth analysis of the Mexican pharmaceutical market is available from Espicom: The Pharmaceutical Market: Mexico (published May 2010)