MEXICAN DRUG MARKET REFORM PLANS CRITICISED

Plans envisaged by Mexican lawmakers to reform the country's cornerstone drug legislation, the General Health Law, have come under fire from industry groups. According to the complaints, the reforms could create a "parallel" health regulatory system in the form of COFEPRIS, the Mexican equivalent of the US FDA.

Although the general trend towards progressive market reform has been welcomed by multinationals, some sources fear that the measures give COFEPRIS too much discretion over enforcement. Further, regulations are unlikely to be simplified as a result of the reforms, and the eventual benefit to public health could be negligible.

Meanwhile, new data highlights the scale of the challenges still facing the Mexican market. Industry group ANAFARMEX claims that pharmacies lose at least US$140mn each year to pirated medicines. A substantial number of expired drugs are stolen from pharmacy trash cans and illegally re-sold in street markets, or are produced in clandestine laboratories. The association has launched a campaign warning consumers to check expiry dates and holograms on drug packets.