Mexico to Launch Tenders to Purchase Medicines
5 junio 2019

On May 24, the senior official of the Finance and Public Credit Secretariat (SHCP), Raquel Buenrostro, announced plans to hold international public tenders to consolidate drug purchasing in the second half of 2019. Despite changes in acquiring inputs, the official reaffirmed that the supply of high-cost drugs is fully guaranteed. Mexico wants to install a new centralized system of public contracts through the SHCP, in line with a model that in other countries took over six years to be fully implemented.

Buenrostro explained that state governments will enter into agreements with the federal government to carry out joint tendering processes. So far, 22 of the 32 states have joined the first process to be launched during the second half of 2019. The official assured that the procurement system and public works will be transformed into a centralized system in no more than five years, and incorporate strategies to ensure greater transparency and fight corruption.

The Government is also keen to modify drug-purchasing criteria and define best available treatments so as to evaluate the cost-value ratio, prioritizing effectiveness. The intention is to improve transparency and access to better-quality medicines, hitherto unavailable because they were not certified by the Federal Health Risks Protection Commission (Cofepris). This entity will now be tasked with reviewing the records of pharmaceutical products, while the SHCP Chief Officer will establish reference prices for medicines so that Mexico can continue to progressively implement the new purchasing model.

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