The senator and coordinator of the majority party Morena, Ricardo Monreal, introduced on February 19 an initiative that proposes a regulation of the inputs used in the production of drugs and, consequently, guarantees the right to health. The aim is to reduce the cost of medicines. The government states that medicines in Mexico “cost up to three times more than in other countries”. Gricelda Valencia (Morena) pointed out that “80% of antiretrovirals in Mexico are in the hands of an oligopoly of pharmaceutical companies that make therapies more expensive”. The proposal seeks to reverse the trend (according to WHO) that one in three people can not access essential medicines.

The government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) wants to achieve a reduction of drug patents’ duration in order to reduce the prices to facilitate access to these products. WHO presents the situation as a “global challenge”. To face it is necessary to joint actions among countries – in terms of the patent system, political factors, the lack of capacity of regulatory agencies, and the lack of coordination that makes the availability of these drugs impossible. These products are selected depending on the disease prevalence, and their safety, efficacy and comparative cost-effectiveness. Therefore, they are included in the WHO ‘Model List of Essential Medicines’.

Senator Valencia also explained that the setting of maximum prices will be the result of the agreement between the secretariats of Economy and Health. It does not limit the entry of new medicines to the national market. On February 20, AMLO revealed that annually, the Mexican State expends more than USD 4,000 million in drugs. To change this and in order to save resources and not give rise to acts of corruption, the Executive Branch is already reviewing the contracts. If the Congress of the Union were able to pass this law, in line with WHO recommendations, Mexico would improve its population’s access to drugs not only by lowering the cost of these products but also because of the incorporation of generic alternatives resulting from the limits of the patent system.