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President Claudia Sheinbaum announced a new presidential decree this week as part of Plan México, aiming to establish the country as a global leader in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The measure will be officially published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación and seeks to attract international pharmaceutical companies to invest and manufacture medical products in Mexico starting in 2026.
The initiative is framed around leveraging the federal government’s biannual medication procurement budget—over 300 billion pesos—to stimulate domestic production, generate jobs, and reduce healthcare costs. According to President Sheinbaum, the plan will provide added incentives to pharmaceutical companies from countries such as India, the United States, Brazil, and European and Latin American nations to establish operations within Mexico.
“This purchasing power needed to serve the people of Mexico should help bring companies to invest and produce medicines locally,” Sheinbaum said during her morning press conference, Las Mañaneras del Pueblo. “That will lower costs, create jobs, and promote research into diseases prevalent in our regions, such as dengue.”
A key element of the plan is encouraging these companies to set up operations within the Polos de Desarrollo Económico para el Bienestar (PODECOBI), while also partnering with the state-run company Laboratorios de Biológicos y Reactivos de México (Birmex). The government seeks to revitalize Birmex, which lost much of its production capacity during what Sheinbaum called the “neoliberal period.”
The decree will also establish evaluation criteria for pharmaceutical companies participating in the 2026 procurement process, which covers supply for 2027 and 2028. Companies with established production facilities in Mexico will receive preferential treatment, provided they meet quality standards, hold necessary approvals from the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (Cofepris), and contribute to research and development efforts.
Health Secretary David Kershenobich stated that the initiative includes the creation of bio incubators and innovation hubs aimed at positioning Mexico as a center for the production of medicines, medical devices, and vaccines. The plan emphasizes innovation, the development of skilled labor, and strengthening intellectual property protections.
Eduardo Clark García Dobarganes, Undersecretary for Integration and Development of the Health Sector, explained that companies investing in domestic supply chains, factories, laboratories, and storage facilities—especially for generic medicines—will be awarded additional points in the bidding process. For patented and single-source medications, companies will be required to commit to investment levels proportionate to government purchases, with oversight from a newly established Commission for Pharmaceutical Investment Promotion.
Armida Zúñiga Estrada, head of Cofepris, outlined ongoing reforms at the agency to streamline regulatory processes. These include fully digitizing all procedures, reducing approval times for clinical research, modernizing the DIGIPRiS platform for clinical trials, and updating regulations governing medicines and medical devices. A new partnership with the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI) will further speed up patent and health registration processes.
The administration says the decree is part of a broader effort to reduce Mexico’s dependence on foreign pharmaceutical imports while fostering economic development and innovation in the healthcare sector.