Mexico Expands Medicine Production Through New Agreement

Mexico’s health and science authorities signed a new cooperation agreement to expand national capacity for producing essential medical supplies, aiming to strengthen the country’s pharmaceutical sovereignty and advance scientific development.

“The cooperation reflects a productive model that combines health, science, and technology to strengthen national capabilities,” says Juan Luis Díaz, Deputy Minister for Technological Development, Engagement, and Innovation.

The agreement was formalized by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology and Innovation (SECIHTI), Laboratorios de Biológicos y Reactivos de México (Birmex), and the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). The institutions say the renewed framework updates prior commitments and supports the expansion of the Central de Mezclas (Mixing Center), a strategic facility that manufactures oncology drugs, antibiotics, parenteral nutrition supplies, and other critical hospital inputs.

David Kershenobich, Minister of Health, says the collaboration with UNAM will facilitate advances in precursor material production and technological development required for the Central de Mezclas. He notes that the effort aligns with the government’s goal of strengthening national pharmaceutical production.

The facility, located in Tlalpan, forms part of the national strategy for public drug manufacturing and represents a priority for the current administration, says Carlos Ulloa, Director General, Birmex.

The updated agreement broadens participation across university faculties and institutes, including those focused on chemistry and engineering, according to Patricia Dávila, Secretary General, UNAM. She says that undergraduate and graduate students will take part in training and research within the facility, contributing academic expertise to operational and development needs.

Eduardo Clark, Deputy Minister of Health, adds that reinforcing the Central de Mezclas is essential to ensuring the availability of medicines and hospital supplies, and notes UNAM’s role as a strategic partner in the initiative.

Through this agreement, the four institutions reaffirmed their commitment to scientific advancement, technological innovation, and the development of strategic infrastructure to ensure the supply of safe and reliable medical inputs for the national health system.

Mexico is moving to align fast-paced scientific advances with public health needs. Recently, Kershenobich said that developments that once required decades now emerge within years. This acceleration is unfolding during an epidemiological transition that requires responses to infectious and chronic diseases at the same time. The pace of change reinforces the need for systems capable of adopting and distributing new tools at scale, explained Kershenobich.

He also highlighted that social determinants must guide technological adoption. Mexico is working on the National Medical Care Protocols (PRONAM) to integrate new technologies into clinical practice throughout the country, with a particular focus on rural and remote communities. The initiative seeks to standardize how innovations are applied so that access does not depend on geography.

Kershenobich also pointed to a series of shifts in medical practice driven by scientific progress, ranging from ultrasound and tomography to magnetic resonance imaging, AI, and the rapid development of RNA-based vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these tools were out of reach for students a decade ago, he said, yet now define current diagnostic and treatment standards.

Mexico continues to face long-standing increases in obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Recent data show alarming trends in the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases among Mexican adults. From 2018 to 2022, the percentage of adults with hypertension surged from 34.1% to 47.8%. Similarly, the prevalence of diabetes has seen a notable increase. In 2018, 14.4% of Mexican adults were diagnosed with diabetes. By 2022, this figure had risen to 18.3%.