On November 12, Senator Ernesto Pérez (Morena- officialism) presented the Senate plenary with a bill to reform the Industrial Property Law, with the objective of regulating drug patents by establishing a legal framework for their manufacture, registration and marketing.

The bill proposes allowing the Mexican Intellectual Property Institute (IMPI, for its acronym in Spanish) to suspend the validity of drug patents if a declaration of public utility is made, following a national security situation or a natural disaster. However, patent rights will not have any effect on entities using these drugs for studies and tests to develop new medicines.

Finally, the bill introduces the use of digital facilities to simplify IMPI procedures for private individuals. The bill will be sent to committee to begin its parliamentary debate in the coming weeks.