MEXICO

On May 18, the Senate’s Special Implementation of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Follow-up Committee met with the Mexican National Association of Drug Manufacturers (ANAFAM, for its acronym in Spanish) to discuss the scope of the agreement and its impact on the sector. The legislators explained that their aim is to achieve a balanced regulation ensuring both access to treatments and respect for patents. It also issued opinions on the Industrial Property Law reform bill currently in discussion with the United Economy, Health and Legislative Studies Committees, Second. The USMCA is to come into force as of July 1.

During the meeting, the legislators expressed their interest in reaching a consensus to balance private law and innovation, by drawing up patents and respecting social rights to healthcare and access to affordable medicines. They also assured that they were keen to continue working with public, private and social stakeholders to ensure the USMCA is successfully implemented.

ANFAM president Cecilia Bravo asked for a legal framework to be developed to contemplate access to health as a matter of sovereignty and national security in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. She explained that the objective was to promote the development of safe, effective and accessible medicines, in addition to substantially improving domestic finances and fostering job creation.