MEXICO

On April 21, the Chamber of Deputies approved the bill that modifies various provisions of the General Health Law on pediatric palliative care. The text was sent to the Senate. In turn, the Health Committee of the Senate approved a bill on the indefinite validity of health registries. The text passed to the Second Legislative Studies Committee, where it must be approved before passing to the full Senate. Both texts will continue to be debated after the legislative recess as from September 1.

The text on palliative care defines pediatric palliative care as the care of the body and mind of the child or adolescent that is initiated upon diagnosis of a life-threatening or life-limiting illness. At the same time, it indicates that when the terminally ill person is a minor, his or her consent and interests must be taken into account, according to the level of maturity he or she possesses at the time of making therapeutic decisions.  In addition, the treating physicians will be able to administer palliative drugs to the terminally ill patient, provided they have the necessary consent to do so. 

As for the health registration bill approved in the Senate committee, it amends article 376 of the General Health Law, establishing that the validity of a health registration will be indefinite, when previously the registrations had to be renewed every 5 years. On the other hand, the initiative adds article 376 TER, establishing that the holders of authorized sanitary registrations with indefinite validity must provide the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (COFEPRIS, in Spanish) with periodic pharmacovigilance reports on such products. At the same time, it indicates that the holders are obliged to submit certificates of Good Manufacturing Practices.