PEOPLE’S MAÑANERA MAY 29

Every day, President Claudia Sheinbaum gives a morning presidential press conference and Mexico Solidarity Media posts English language summaries, translated by Mexico Solidarity’s Pedro Gellert Frank. Previous press conference summaries are available here.

Boosting the National Pharmaceutical Industry

Minister of Health David Kershenobich reported that Plan Mexico’s key goal is to develop industrial parks with bioincubators for the pharmaceutical industry. The objective is to position Mexico as a leader in the production of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and vaccines.

Eduardo Clark, Deputy Minister of Healthcare Sector Integration and Development, presented a decree from the Presidency to promote national investment in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as in medical devices and other healthcare supplies. The goal is that in the next few years, a growing percentage of the pharmaceuticals and related items consumed in Mexico will be produced within the country.

The most important measures include:

• Purchase of generic supplies.
• Purchase of high-cost inputs.

Domestic Production and Employment

The President explained that each year, the Mexican government purchases around 300 billion pesos (US$15.31 billion) worth of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies. Therefore, the aim is for pharmaceutical companies to invest and produce in Mexico, which would reduce costs and create jobs.

One of the decree’s goals is to encourage pharmaceutical and medical supply companies to set up shop in the Polos del Bienestar (Wellbeing Hubs), which offer adequate infrastructure, expedited paperwork procedures, and tax incentives. In addition, the aim is for Laboratorios de Biológicos y Reactivos de México (BIRMEX) to recover its vaccine and drug production capacity and to be able to partner with domestic or foreign companies.

Modernization of COFEPRIS and Attracting Investment

Armida Zúñiga, head of the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (COFEPRIS), presented strategies to boost investment in the country, including:

• Simplification and digitization of 100% of COFEPRIS paperwork procedures.
• Reducing response times for clinical research protocols.
• Modernizing the regulatory framework for pharmaceuticals and medical devices.
• Holding special sessions to resolve pending paperwork procedures.

Foreign Relations and Immigration Policy

Sheinbaum expressed her disagreement with the U.S. government’s policy of suspending student visas and reviewing their social media accounts. She emphasized that Mexico’s immigration policy is, and will continue to be, humanistic, and that where a visa is required, it must be requested through the appropriate mechanisms.

She also announced that new Mexican consuls and ambassadors will be presented in an upcoming Senate session. Sheinbaum reported that new regulations have been issued for consulates, which must adapt to digitization procedures and improve services provided to Mexican nationals.

Progress in Reducing Labor Poverty

The President reported that, according to National Statistics Institute (INEGI) data, labor poverty fell to 33.9%, the lowest level since this indicator has been tabulated. She attributed this improvement to the policies of the Fourth Transformation, such as the increase in the minimum wage, the agreement on prices for the basic basket of goods and services, and the wellbeing programs.

Freedom of Expression, Not Impunity

The President responded to the remarks of opposition journalist Ciro Gómez Leyva, who described the sentence against Genaro García Luna as “exaggerated.” The president stressed that there are public figures who will never recognize the government’s progress because their goal is to attack it politically. She affirmed that there is full freedom of expression, but also a clear distancing from those who defend interests contrary to the transformation.

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