2021
ECHO
IMPACT REPORT
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ECHO
2021
Top leaders of the life sciences industry met in Mexico Health Summit ECHO 2021 to showcase the opportunities and challenges that are emerging in the sector, as it deals with the worst sanitary crisis of the modern era. For the industry, the pandemic brought many lessons but also opportunities to grow and reinvent itself while putting patients at the center. Businesses are now introducing innovative approaches and solutions that respond to today’s health realities and prevent a future sanitary crisis. The sector’s is also striving to meet sustainability goals, which are being supported by technology, financing premium plans, preventive healthcare culture and patient empowerment. Care providers seek to improve their internal performance to reflect their visions for a healthier society. There are still challenges to overcome. The COVID-19 pandemic is not over but multinational efforts have provided Mexico sufficient doses to immunize its entire population, a task that is still going on. Meanwhile, IMSS, the country’s largest public health institute, remains committed to achieve universal healthcare. During Mexico Health Summit ECHO 2021, we learned that the sector is stronger when it works together and that efforts to improve are not isolated. Healthcare leaders are working to meet new targets in health prevention, technology integration, stronger communication and collaboration among stakeholders to create a sustainable, patient-centric ecosystem that foments innovation and is accessible for everyone.
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C onfe r ence I mp a ct
129
How would you rate the quality of the conference program and speakers?
Breakdown by job title
companies
360
conference participants
45.5% Meets expectation 36.4% Exceeds expectation 9.1% Greatly exceeds expectation 9.1% Below expectation
29% Director 22% Manager 19% CEO/ Director general 11% Associate/executive 7% President/board member/Partner 5% VP/CFO/COO 4% Doctor 3% Researcher/analyst
64
speakers
Conference social media impact
8
sponsors
10,212 direct impressions during MHS
4,003
visitors to the conference website
Pre-conference social media impact 22,550 direct pre-conference LinkedIn impressions
4.9% click through rate during MHS
3.97% pre-conference click through rate
10.28% conference engagement rate
5.14% pre-conference engagement rate
Mexico’s leading B2B conference organizer introduces the world’s leading event networking platform. Delivering intent-based matchmaking powered by Artificial Intelligence that connects the right people. Network, no matter where you are.
207
participants
How would you rate the quality of the matchmaking on Brella?
Matchmaking intentions
809
matchmaking communications
116
1:1 meetings conducted
54.5% Meets expectation 18.2% Exceeds expectation 18.2% Below expectation 9.1% Greatly exceeds expectation
857 Trading Total
1,365
38 Recruitment 211 Investment
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C omp a n y Attend a nce
•
Avalon Pharmaceutical
•
ConvaTec Mexico
•
Laboratorios Liomont S.A. de C.V.
•
Abbott Laboratories, Inc.
•
Draeger
•
Laboratorios Sanfer
•
Accord Farma
•
Ecaresoft
•
Laboratorios Sophia
•
Alivia Clinica de Alta Especialidad
•
LAVARTEX
Allen Laboratorios
Edwards Lifesciences Mexico SA de CV
•
•
•
Mayo Clinic
•
Allergan
•
Embassy of Canada in Mexico
•
MediHC
•
Ambar Capital
•
Eolis
•
Medisi America
•
AMID Asociacion Mexicana de Industrias Innovadoras de Dispositivos Médicos AC
•
Farmacéuticos Maypo, S.A. de C.V.
•
Medtronic
•
Merck
•
Farmacia Guadalajara, SA de CV
•
Mexico Business
•
Anadim
•
Farmacias ISSEG
•
MexicoView
•
Apotex
•
Microport
ARROBA INGENIERIA, SA DE CV
Farmacos Continentales S. A de C.V
•
•
•
Moksha8
•
Asociación mexicana de diabetes en la Ciudad de México AC
•
FARMAPIEL
•
MSD
•
FrontierView
•
Multiplica
Asociación Mexicana de Laboratorios Farmacéuticos, A.C.
•
Fundación Mexicana para la Salud.A.C.
•
Mural Med
•
Nadro
•
Astellas
•
Genetics and Health SA de CV
•
Netherlands Embassy in Mexico
•
AVA Salud
•
Gobierno de Ontario en Mexico
•
Novartis
•
AXA Keralty
•
•
Olympus Mexico
•
AXA Seguros México
•
•
Omron
•
Biomérieux
GRUPO DALINDE SAN ANGEL INN
•
•
BIOSKINCO
•
Grupo GSMexico
PASCUAL ASESORIA Y CONSULTORIA
•
Boston Scientific
•
Grupo Médico Rossano
•
perrigo mexico
•
Brella Ltd
•
•
PharmAdvice
•
Brightsea
Grupo Promotor de la Industria de Cannabis
•
PLM
•
Bristol Myers Squibb
•
Grupo Torre Médica
•
QbD México
•
British Embassy
•
GSK
•
RGA Reinsurance Company
•
Bupa México
•
HL7 México
•
Roche
•
•
CANIFARMA
•
Hospital Ginequito
•
Sánchez Devanny
•
Central Media
•
•
Sandoz Mexico
•
Centro de Investigación Sophia
Hospital San Angel Inn Chapultepec
•
Sanofi
•
CHG-Meridian México
•
Hospitales San Angel Inn
•
Sarstedt Mexico
•
CHIESI
•
Hospitaria
•
Sartorius México
•
Christus Muguerza
•
IMSS
•
Siemens Healthineers
•
CIRCUTOR México, Centro América y Caribe
•
IMSS ABC
•
T5DC
•
Indra
•
Takeda
CISNE México (Centro de Investigación en Sistema Nervioso)
•
Instituto de Salud Pública de Chile
•
Tecsalud
•
TIS
INTERACIONAL FARMACEUTICA
•
Tokio Marine Mexico
•
Trout & Partners
•
•
•
City Cancer Challenge
•
City Council
•
Investigacion Farmaceutica
•
UCIN MEDICA
•
Cluster Medico Jalisco
•
IQVIA
•
UDIMEB
•
Cold Chain Technologies
•
Janssen Cilag
•
ULTRA LABORATORIOS
•
Colorcon
•
Johnson & Johnson
•
•
Consejo Coordinador Empresarial
•
Kaspersky
UNIVERSIDAD DE GUADALAJARA
•
Consejo de Salubridad General
•
Kuehne Nagel
•
Viveo Health
•
Consejo mexicano de neurologia
•
Laboratorio Médico Polanco
•
Von Wobeser y Sierra
•
Consejo Mexicano de Ortopedia y Traumatología
•
Laboratorios Alfasigma Mexico SA de CV
•
Within3
•
Zacsoft
6
P r og r a m D ay 1
08:55
WELCOME TO MEXICO HEALTH SUMMIT - DAY 1
09:00
DIPLOMACY, SOLIDARITY STAND AGAINST WORST GLOBAL PANDEMIC
Speaker: Martha Delgado Peralta, Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs
09:30
MEXICO OUTLOOK IN 2022: PREPARE TO CAPTURE BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AMID A CHALLENGING OPERATING ENVIRONMENT
Speaker: Alejandro Valerio, Associate Practice Leader Mexico and Central America of FrontierView
10:00
PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATIONS TO CREATE HIGH-QUALITY SERVICES
Moderator: Hector Valle, Executive President of Funsalud Panelists: Javier Potes, Director General of CMH Raul Anaya Nuñez, Director General of Certificación at Consejo de Salubridad General Patrick Devlyn, President of the Health Commission at CCE 10:45
BOOSTING HEALTHCARE UTILIZATION BY ADDRESSING FINANCIAL HARDSHIP
Moderator: Javier Potes, Director General of CMH Panelists: Horacio Garza Ghio, Health System General Director of CHRISTUS MUGUERZA Gustavo Fernandez, CEO at Grupo Torre Médica Paula Garavito, Managing Director at AXA/Keralty Cesar Carrasco, Excecutive Managing Director at Hospitales San Angel Inn 11:30
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY - AI POWERED 1:1 MEETINGS
12:30
GOING BEYOND THE VIDEO CALL: THE FUTURE OF STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
Speakers: Lance Hill, CEO of Within3 Estefanía Torres, Therapeutic Area Lead Immunology Director of Takeda
7
P r og r a m D ay 1
13:15
BETTER CARE THROUGH AN INTERCONNECTED HEALTH SYSTEM
Moderator: Georgina García, President of Cluster Médico Jalisco Panelists: Jose Solis Padilla, Senior Administrator for International Business Development of Mayo Clinic Jorge Camargo, CEO of ECARESOFT Esteban López, MD Healthcare and Life Sciences Market Lead for the Americas at Google Cloud Sandra Sánchez-Oldenhage, President of PharmAdvice 14:00
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY - AI-POWERED 1:1 MEETINGS
15:00
HEALTH SERVICES CONTINUITY: PANDEMIC AND POST-PANDEMIC SCENARIOS
Moderator: Américo García, VP and Director General of Apotex Latam Panelists: Rafael Enrique Maciel Martínez, President of Asociación Mexicana de Genéricos (AMEGI) Enrique Culebro Karam, Director of Central Media Edilberto Peña de León, Director General of CISNE Mexico Iván Encalada Díaz, Vice President of Consejo Mexicano de Ortopedia y Traumatología AC Leopoldo Cavazos Castro, Health Regulation Consultant at MYC Asociados 16:00
AN INTEGRAL APPROACH TO HEALTH PREVENTION
Moderator: Guillaume Corpart, Managing Director of Global Health Intelligence Panelists: Jaime Fragoso, Director of Processing Centers of LMP Eduardo Lara, Vice President, Head of Health Latin America at RGA Fernando J. Cruz, Country President and Head of Corporate Affairs and Communication at Novartis Group Mexico Gabriela Allard, President at Mexican Diabetes Association 17:00
HEALTHCARE ACCESS AS A NATIONAL PRIORITY
Speaker: Manuel Cervantes Ocampo, Coordinator of First Level Medical Units at IMSS 17:30
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY
8
P r og r a m D ay 2
08:55
WELCOME TO MEXICO HEALTH SUMMIT - DAY 2
09:00
COMPROMISED MEDICINE SUPPLY: THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH
Moderator: Rafael Gual, Director General of CANIFARMA Panelists: Orlando Aguirre, Government Sales Director, Market Access & Pricing of Merck Group Benjamin Vega, Commercial Director of Allen Laboratories Juan Luis Serrano Leets, Partner- Life Sciences at Sánchez Devanny Jesús Arenas Wiedfeldt, Corporate Communication Director of Maypo Enrique Liñero, Country Head at Sandoz 10:00
COUNTERFEIT DRUGS: THE IMPACT ON THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY
Speaker: Gary Pond, Global Product Authentication Lead of Colorcon 10:45
ACCELERATED PATHWAYS FOR ACCESS TO PHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATION
Moderator: Cynthia Ramírez, Communications Director of AMIIF Panelists: Cristobal Thompson, Executive Director of AMIIF Florencia Davel, VP, General Manager, Latin America at Bristol Myers Squibb Antonio Loaeza, Country Medical Director at Sanofi Genzyme Angeles Martínez, Senior Principal and Head of Consulting, North LatAm at IQVIA 11:30
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY - AI-POWERED 1:1 MEETINGS
12:30
INTEGRATION OF HEALTH ECOSYSTEMS 5.0
Moderator: Alejandro Ruiz, Health Industry Global Head at Multiplica Panelists: Carlos Flores, Chief Innovation Officer of Nadro Hector Sobrino, Director of Health Services and Transformation of AXA/Keralty Jesus David Diaz Garaygordobil, CIO at CHRISTUS MUGUERZA 13:15
IMPACT OF THE DIAGNOSIS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE
Moderator: David Godínez, Medical Advisor of bioMérieux Panelists: Hector Barillas, Director General of bioMérieux Suria González, Infectionist of bioMérieux Julian Jiménez, Lab Specialist of bioMérieux
9
P r og r a m D ay 2
14:00
NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY - AI-POWERED 1:1 MEETINGS
15:00
VALUE-BASED INVESTMENT FOR STATE-OF-THEART MEDICAL DEVICE TECHNOLOGY
Moderator: Ana Riquelme, Executive Director of AMID Panelists: Alejandro Paolini, Managing Director - Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean at Siemens Healthineers Juan Gabriel Gay, Managing Director at TI Salud Héctor Orellana, VP North Latam at Medtronic 15:45
DATA: PRIVACY, OWNERSHIP, ETHICS, AND CYBERSECURITY
Moderator: Guillermo Bilbao, Director of Energy Business Mexico of Minsait Panelists: Fernando Gamallo, Director of Information Tchnology of Sanfer José Arriaga Murcia, CIO at Tokio Marine Mexico Pablo Cubela, IT Director of BUPA Mexico Victor Medina, Acting President at HL7 Mexico 16:30
WOMEN IN HEALTHCARE: THEIR EXPERIENCE AS INDUSTRY LEADERSV
Moderator: Massiel Nunez, Director Americas at FrontierView Panelists: Florencia Davel, VP, General Manager, Latin America at Bristol Myers Squibb María Johnson, VP of Channels for Latin America at Boston Scientific Sandra Cifuentes, Latam Area Lead of Astellas Luly de Samper, International Vice President, MEDICAL DEVICES, Latin America at Johnson & Johnson Mariana Tolovi, Managing Director, Latin America at Edwards Lifesciences
10
C onfe r ence H ighlights DIPLOMACY, SOLIDARITY STAND AGAINST WORST GLOBAL PANDEMIC To contain the COVID-19 pandemic, Mexico
Mexico is receiving vaccines at an accelerated
has strengthened international alliances to
pace as part of López Obrador’s goal to have
secure the necessary vaccines, medicines
applied at least one dose of a COVID-19
and medical equipment to care for its
vaccine to all Mexicans by October. “The
population. The countr y ’s multilateral
number of vaccines we have received is
agreements have helped promote
enough to inoculate entire countries, such
unive rs al a ccess to va ccin es , a rg ue d
as Spain, Peru or Germany.” These deliveries
Martha Delgado Peralta, Deputy Minister
are part of vaccine contracts that have given
for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights
Mexico over 120 million vaccines. “Be sure that
at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
we have all those vaccines and they will get to every person in Mexico,” said Delgado.
“ S i n ce m a rc h 2 02 0 , (th e M i n i s tr y of Foreign Affairs) has worked with other
While vaccine access has dominated the
public and private institutions to guarantee
news, Delgado explains that the Ministry’s
the reception of donations from other
actions extend much further. “We managed
countries. To date, we have revied the
to accommodate Mexico’s participation on
equivalent of MX$20 0 million (US$1 0
phase III of clinical trials with pharmaceuticals
million) in donations,” said Delgado.
CanSino, Janssen, CureVac and Novavax.” The Ministry also created a Mexico-China
“We managed to accommodate Mexico’s participation on phase III of clinical trials with pharmaceuticals CanSino, Janssen, CureVac and Novavax.”
Martha Delgado Peralta Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs
air bridge, which has coordinated around 54 flights to Mexico. These include 25 flights carrying medical devices, 25 flights carrying vaccines from SinoVac and CanSino, 2 flights carrying private donations and 2 flights from private hospitals.” The Ministry has heavily supported COFEPRIS to accelerate the access to medicines and vaccines. “We have intervened for the proper and timely access to the results of clinical trials
From the start of the pandemic, the Ministry
carried out globally so approvals can happen
of Foreign Affairs was appointed to support,
as soon as possible,” said Delgado. She also
by all means possible, the acquisition of
explained that the Ministry is trying to position
medical supplies. Later, this goal expanded
COFEPRIS as part of the world committee
to the acquisition of vaccines to inoculate
on pharmaceutical regulation, “which will
all Mexicans. Minister of Foreign Affairs
enhance the credibility of our agency and
Marcelo Ebrard was appointed by President
position it again at a world class level. “
Andrés Manuel López Obrador to coordinate all diplomatic activities so Mexico could
These efforts are not one-sided. The Ministry
properly face the COVID-19 pandemic.
has also joined multilateral agreements and mechanisms to support the universal
To a chieve this missio n , th e M inistr y
delivery of vaccines. “We, for example, joined
coordinated three primary action areas
the (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness
to face COVID-19: donations, access to
Innovations) CEPI in May 2020 to achieve
personal protection equipment (PPE)
universal access to vaccines. As such, the
and access to vaccines. “ Through our
country joined COVAX, led by CEPI, to receive
efforts, we managed to increase Mexico’s
and distribute about 2 billion vaccine doses.”
ventilator capacity by 170 percent, helping
COVAX’s goal is to distribute at least 20
reduce the country’s hospital burden,”
percent of the vaccines each country acquires
said Delgado.
to other countries.
11
C onfe r ence H ighlights “We cannot leave out the donations that
vaccines but also through humanitarian
Mexico has encouraged and carried out.
donations for countries facing severe crises
We have donated 1 million doses to Central
like Haiti. “We have sent humanitarian aid
American and Caribbean countries which
ships to help them address the politic,
requested them as they were struggling to
economic, ecological and social crisis they
start or complete their vaccination processes,”
are facing. Mexico has shown solidarity with
said Delgado. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
its own region first.”
will leave the rest of this coordination task to the Ministry of Health, so by 2022 the health
Much of the Ministry’s work aims to strengthen
sector will be in charge of coordinating
Mexico’s position on the economic sphere.
vaccine supply.
“We should not forget that the country has a large capacity to export pharmaceutical
Mexico was also in favor of the resolution
products to central America and Latin
74/274 on the UN’s General Assembly, an
America.” Delgado said that the Ministry
initiative that further promoted international
of Health will be, as the Ministry of Foreign
collaboration and access to vaccinations,
Affairs was, supported by the nation’s
explained Delgado. “The country was not shy
customs department, BIRMEX and SEDENA,
to share its view on equal access to vaccines
among others.
globally.” Mexico is also advocating for access to vaccines at the Community of Latin
In May 2020, the Ministry met with Mexican
American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as
scientists to encourage the development of
part of its efforts to support Latin America.
the national COVID-19 vaccine “Patria,” which
“It is through CELAC’s efforts that we
is being developed through joint efforts from
achieved the joint collaboration to produce
Mexican universities including Univeridad
and package the AstraZeneca vaccine in
Autó n o m a d e Q u ret a ro, U n ive r sid a d
Argentina and Mexico, respectively.”
Michoacana de San Nicolas de Hidalgo, UNAM Centro de Biomedicina, IMSS and
Through the UN Economic Commission for
ITESM. During the meeting both parties also
Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL),
addressed funding and preparation of future
Mexico shows solidarity not only through
epidemics.
VACCINATION, POLICY AGENDA: CHALLENGES TO MEXICO’S RECOVERY Alth o ug h 202 1 h as b e e n b et te r th a n
Leader Mexico and Central America of
expected for the Mexican economy, factors
FrontierView. “The country’s economic
such as the slow vaccination process and
recovery will continue in 2022 mainly on
the spending priorities of President Andrés
the back of exports to the US. However, we
Manuel López Obrador’s administration
should expect an uneven recovery across
pose a large risk to the country’s finances,
industries and segments amid a challenging
says Alejandro Valerio, Associate Practice
operating environment.”
“About 40 percent of the population in developed economies has been fully vaccinated, compared with 11 percent in emerging nations and a very small fraction in low-income developing countries”
From the beginning of the pandemic , ma rket s have witn esse d th e M exic a n economy’s growth prospects increase. Just in early August, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its growth outlook for Mexico from 5 to 6.3 percent
Alejandro Valerio
in 2021, whereas by 2022 it expects the
Associate Practice Leader Mexico and Central America of FrontierView
Mexican economy to grow by 4.2 percent from the 3 percent previously expected. A month earlier, the World Bank raised
12
C onfe r ence H ighlights have issued red flags for countries that “exceeded themselves in dealing with the COVID-19 shock.” In addition to economic stimulus, recovery continues to be linked to the vaccination process. According to FrontierView, Mexico has secured enough vaccines to immunize 99 percent of its population but the process has been sluggish. By late August, only 27 percent of the country’s population had already received the two shots. Other countries in the region have vaccinated much larger segments of their population: Chile already vaccinated 72 percent, Ecuador 50 percent and Brazil 31 percent. Mexico, on the other hand, is expected to have 80 percent of its population fully vaccinated by early 2022, FrontierView data reveals. The emergence of new virus variants has also posed a challenge to countries’ economic recovery, Valerio said. Countries with very its forecast for Mexico’s economic growth
high vaccination levels such as Israel and
in 2021 from 3.7 percent to 5 percent,
Chile have shown rising infection trends in
largely supported by the recovery in the
the face of these new variants. According
US. “About 40 percent of the population
to Valerio, Mexico has a head start in this
in developed economies has been fully
regard as the vaccines it has applied have
vaccinated, compared with 11 percent in
been diversified, from Pfizer, AstraZeneca,
emerging nations and a very small fraction
SputnikV, CanSino and recently Moderna.
in low-income developing countries ,”
“This has led to an improvement in the trend
IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said
of infections compared to 2020. The data
in a statement. To date, 45.6 percent of
and the trend indicate that Mexico will not
Mexicans have received at least one dose
return to the same situation as in 1Q20.”
of a COVID-19 vaccine, according to Our World in Data.
The situation for companies will continue to be challenging, Valerio noted, as issues
Nonetheless, Valerio warned, Mexico will not
on the government ’s agenda including
return to pre-pandemic levels until late 2023
the outsourcing reform, changes to the
or early 2024. This effect is partly due to the
energy reform and the tax reform currently
government’s lack of fiscal stimulus, which
underway pose major hurdles. While the
amounted to less than 2 percent of GDP,
outsourcing reform will bring negative
“the lowest among all major economies” and
impacts such as increased labor costs and
only surpassing Uganda when compared to
a decrease in competitiveness against other
80 countries. “This is related to the austerity
countries such as China, the changes to
policy of the current government, which
the energy reform will present hurdles for
was one of the reasons why over 1 million
the renewable energy sector. Meanwhile,
SMBs closed permanently,” he said. Due
the tax reform, aimed at targeting large
to the lack of fiscal stimulus, the country’s
corporations’ profits, “will result in an
sovereign debt remains relatively stable, he
increase in the cost of doing business in the
added, which explains why rating agencies
country,” he explained.
13
C onfe r ence H ighlights
PUBLIC-PRIVATE AGREEMENTS CRUCIAL FOR HEALTHCARE SYSTEM’S FUTURE Th e COVI D -1 9 pa n d e mic p rove d h ow
wholesalers, intermediaries or the end
successful public-private partnerships
user and in which infrastructure is used
(PPPs) in healthcare provision could be
provided totally or partially by the private
and broke paradigms between sectors
sector with objectives that increase social
thanks to their combined efforts during
welfare and investment in the country.”
the emergency’s worst times. While PPPs are common in other sectors, they are
A sustainable and well financed health
unusual in the strongly divided Mexican
system is crucial for ever y countr y to
healthcare system but implementing them
keep its population safe. The international
could bring plenty of benefits, according
recommendation is to have an 8 0/20
to industry experts.
composition between public spending a n d p r i v a te s p e n d i n g , a c c o r d i n g to
“ H e a l th c a re p rov i s i o n f o r th e e n ti re
W H O. I n 2 01 8 , p u b lic exp e n d itu re in
population was a great aspiration in the
healthcare represented 51 percent of the
1 9 8 0 s that com es along with a great
total health spending in Mexico, with the
n u m b e r o f c h a l l e n g e s . We h a v e t o
remaining 49 percent being financed
think beyond sectors and institutions.
by private parties. “Collaborations such
Mexico needs a real, global healthcare
as the one achieved in the pandemic ,
system with the collaboration of actors,
helped to combine healthcare workers,
including public and private e ntities ,
infrastructure, medicines and devices in
and the pandemic proved it possible,”
a timely manner, which is the only way
said Raúl Anaya Núñez, Director
to truly achieve healthcare access for
General of Certificación at Consejo de
everyone,” said Héctor Valle, Executive
Salubridad General.
President at FunSalud.
The Public-Private Partnerships Law, in
In this kind of collaborations, the
force since January 2012, defines them as
private investment is recovered with the
“those that are carried out with any scheme
consideration paid by the public sector via
to e s t a b lis h a l o n g -te r m co ntra c tu a l
multi-year payments, along with the fees
relationship between instances of the
and rates that the users or beneficiaries
public sector and the private sector for the
must pay in some cases. PPPs allow an
provision of services to the public sector,
optimal risk sharing between the public
14
C onfe r ence H ighlights and private sectors and result in more
Mexico, Nayarit, Chiapas, Yucatan and Mexico
affordable projects for the public sector.
City. These contracts are considered more transparent thanks to monthly performance
While the partnership during the pandemic
reports, which strengthen accountability for
was successful and helped both parties have
both public and private actors.
a better understanding of each other, collaborations must be planned long term,
Patient-Centered, the Priority
said Javier Potes, Director General at Mexico’s Hospital Consortium (CMH). “The
A patient-centered approach is needed in the
p r i v a t e s e c t o r, i n c l u d i n g i n s u r a n c e
Mexican healthcare system. “Patients should
companies, has to take some risks. We have
be the focal point in the healthcare system,”
to focus more in health than in diseases,
said Potes, “we used to focus on our own
working on prevention,” said Potes.
organization and hospitals. The pandemic forced this discussion between sectors
“We started to break down stereotypes. Ideas such as that the private sector only seeks profit and is unethical or that the public sector is corruptible and riddled with advance-stopping bureaucracy. It has been proved that those stereotypes could be broken down”
to break barriers down.” Understanding how the other party worked was the most difficult part, agreed industry experts, but putting the patient as the focal point forced mutually beneficial agreements. Patient-centered attention can be achieved through a reorganization of the public
Raul Anaya Nuñez
institutions’ legal and administrative
Director General of Certificación at Consejo de Salubridad General
framework, with a prevention-over-diseasesattention mindset and a clear equit y principle, according to Anaya. He insisted in the importance of taking examples, such
In 2018, chronic-degenerative diseases,
from pandemic collaborations.
such as heart diseases and diabetes, caused 50 percent of the total deaths in Mexico,
For PPPs to be successful, both parties
according to INEGI. These diseases, often
need to consider priorities and challenges,
called the “silent epidemic” by WHO, have
such as infrastructure, community facilities
to be targeted in Mexico through an integral
and financing. “Both sectors have their
prevention solution between public and
own strengths. For instance, with a local
private sectors, according to Patrick Devlyn,
point of view, we can take advantage the
President of the Health Commission at
infrastructure of institutes such as Pemex or
Business Coordinating Council (CCE).
INSABI in different cities across the country. Private clinics, hospitals and pharmacies
“We started to break down stereotypes.
also have an important presence. We can
Ideas such as that the private sector only
collaborate subrogating patients to private
seeks profit and is unethical or that the
entities when public institutions suffer
public sector is corruptible and riddled with
demand peaks, just like it happened during
advance-stopping bureaucracy. It has been
the pandemic,” said Devlyn.
proved that those stereotypes could be broken down,” said Anaya, who explained
The public sector could also help finance
that the political-ideological idea that public
operations, mainly services in communities
and private sectors could not collaborate
that do not have a hospital due to poor
has been left behind.
economic viability, a small population or other socioeconomic situation, according
To date, Mexico’s eight operational PPP
to Potes. In these collaborations, “both
contracts in the healthcare sector are
actors must act within the law and respect
hospitals in Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, State of
established policies,” said Valle.
15
C onfe r ence H ighlights the number of actual users also decreased by 8.5 million, with 57.5 percent choosing to be treated at private hospitals. With the decrease of population affiliated to public health institutions , the private sector’s intervention is crucial, said Potes: “The private sector needs to join within a better structure between its actors. We have to optimize out-of-pocket expenses in healthcare matters.” In the same two-year period between 2018 and 2020, out-of-pocket expenses in health matters increased from MX$2,358 (US$118) to MX$3,299 (US$165) per quarter. This phenomenon also affected those affiliated to healthcare institutions, especially Pemex Last year there were 87.4 million Mexicans
affiliates, who suffered an 85.3 percent
affiliated to at least one public health
increase, according to CIEP.
institution (IMSS, ISSSTE, Pemex or IMSS Bienestar, among others), less than the
To pursue equal, quality healthcare for the
102 million affiliated in 2018, according
Mexican population, PPPs have to become
to the Economic Budget Investigation
a reality. “Health is a priority for the country
Center (CIEP). Besides the contractions
to achieve its potential development,”
in affiliations to the public health system,
said Devlyn.
MULTI-STAKEHOLDER PARTNERSHIPS TO REDUCE OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES Working toward the common goal to
suffer,” says Paula Garavito, Managing
improving Mexico’s private healthcare
Director of AXA Keralty.
systems implies looking for multistakeholder partnerships with clearly defined goals,
Javier Potes, Director General of the Mexican
information transparency, shared risks
Consortium of Hospitals (CMH), explained
and responsibilities, agree experts. While
that Mexico faces a vicious circle, in which
complex, these plans could help patients
high healthcare costs impact not only the
enjoy a private healthcare system at a
general conditions of the populations’
competitive cost.
health but also the healthcare system. “That 9 percent is a dubious number since
In Mexico, out-of-pocket expenditure in
copayments and other insurance fees have
healthcare is one of the most evident
to be paid out of pocket. The bottom line
signs of how expensive healthcare may
is: is healthcare really expensive or is there
be to a patient in primary care. “Pocket
a lack of coverage and adequate financing
expenditure in health is linked to Mexico’s
schemes that provide affordable healthcare
informal economy, which is the source of
to the general public?” asked Potes.
employment for 50 percent of all workers, and low penetration of private insurance.
According to healthcare experts, population
Only about 9 percent of the population has
ageing, low fer tilit y rates , higher life
private insurance. Moreover, 46 percent
expectancy and the epidemiologic
of i n d ivi d u a l s fi n a n ce h e a lth c a re by
transition toward chronic degenerative
themselves, creating risk funnels in which
diseases, such as diabetes or hypertension,
should there be a catastrophic event, people
increase the medical need of a population.
16
C onfe r ence H ighlights
Meanwhile, the high costs of new healthcare
as it provides severance only when the
technologies are also spilled to the patients,
problem has already occurred. There should
raising the overall cost of care. Furthermore,
be an alternative model that involves every
pocket expenditures are also increased by
link of the chain of the healthcare system.
neglecting primary medical attention, said
We need a model that establishes not
Horacio Garza Ghio, Health System General
vertical network but an intertwined network
Director at CHRISTUS MUGUERZA. “The
in which private medical stakeholders share
system in Mexico is reactive rather than
benefits rather than just increasing their own
preventive. Within the CHRISTUS Health
profits,” says Garza Ghio. This will ultimately
group and other healthcare models in Latin
be reflected in the healthcare costs.
America, 47 percent of fees are invested on primary attention,” he said.
To improve, different stakeholders need a common goal, said Gustavo Fernández,
Healthcare attention is also costly because
CEO of Grupo Torre Medica. “The pandemic
there are not enough incentives for the
set a good example on how healthcare
patient or for hospitals, said Cesar Carrasco,
stakeholders can work together toward a
Executive Managing Director at Hospitales
better healthcare.” During this period, public
San Angel Inn. “Healthcare attention is
and private parties created partnerships
perceived as costly because it focuses on
based on the needs of the patients. These
the incident. We do not have any incentive
partnerships involved insurances, hospitals
to promote prevention or early diagnosis.
and other parties, explained Fernández.
Economic incentives are not well distributed
“If the entire chain shares information, sits
across the chain.” This problem could
at the table then we can reduce costs for
be addressed by increasing the number
patients while increasing the overall benefits
of people insured and by improving the
for hospitals too,” he said.
hospital’s supply chain. “If we add providers, payers and suppliers for a holistic vision of
The draft of a possible solution to improve
healthcare we could create a virtuous cycle,”
the system should focus on two main
said Carrasco.
areas, argue experts. First, parties should share relevant information across the
Alternative healthcare models should also
value chain, from suppliers to hospitals,
be designed in close collaboration with
insurance and patients. Second, the sector
other stakeholders within the healthcare
needs a network that shares benefits and
value chain. “We need to acknowledge that
risks. “It will take years to optimize pocket
the insurance model in Mexico is reactive
expenditure but there will come a time
17
C onfe r ence H ighlights when pocket expenditure becomes private
healthc are ser vices is essential , said
insurance. To lower healthcare costs, there
Garza Ghio. “Businesses are built on real
should be a commitment in which all actors
information. For as long as we do not have a
of the system assume a risk to deliver better
free flow of information, we are walking blind.
services and more competitive costs, with a
Suppliers know this and they sell products at
technological backup that diminishes risks,”
different prices to different hospitals.”
says Garavito. The key is understanding how economic incentives are established
As information is essential to build a
throughout the chain to address them with
collaborative model, transparency becomes
clear, shared objectives and well-defined
a key element. “ When information is
goals,” said Carrasco.
transparent both in costs and results when medical outcomes are certain parties should
To a c h i eve t h e s e a l l i a n c e s , s h a r i n g
be rewarded. Reward patients that take care
information on best practices that improve
of themselves and prevent” said Fernández.
FUTURE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT GOES BEYOND VIDEO CALLS T h e p a n d e m i c c h a n g e d h ow p e o p l e
these companies need to be in constant
communicate and allowed companies
communication with their consumers,
to innovate their approach to KOLs and
from payers to physicians. We bring them
stakeholders. Within3 identified the barriers
together through presential or virtual
to in-person or real-life virtual meetings
meetings with these actors,” said Lance Hill,
to offer a platform for information and
CEO and Founder of Within3.
valuable insights. Within traditional communication dynamics Within3 is a software communications
th e re a re s eve r a l b a r r i e r s th a t s to p
company for life sciences and healthcare
companies from getting the full advantage
organizations that allows stakeholders
of meetings. For instance, real time virtual
and organizations to engage with
meetings require everyone to connect at the
physicians, nurses, payers and patients.
same time using the same platform and for
To date, the company works with the top
everyone to speak the same language and
20 pharma companies and medical and
have good internet bandwidth. “Meetings
biotech companies. “Within3 is a software
promote interaction but as more people
company whose mission is to connect the
join the call it is harder for everyone to
world of life sciences and healthcare. All
participate.”
18
C onfe r ence H ighlights In-person meetings involve different logistics
Torres said that to have continuity in
and expenses because companies have to
research projects, Takeda adopted the
get their KOLs and stakeholders present at
Within3 platform. “It was not easy at the
the same location, which involves arranging
beginning, as there are barriers within the
flights and planning venues. This takes more
same team. For example, many are not
effort, time and significantly limits the ability
used to these technologies and we had to
to get everyone involved. Within3’s platform
provide personal guidance to the ones that
avoids these technological limits based
struggled the most. But when we saw the
through smart data analysis. “Anytime virtual
result, it was all worth it,” said Torres.
meetings allow people to interact at different times while sharing information and material
Takeda, through Within3, made an advisory
in the same space,” explains Hill. Due to their
board that allowed it to develop creative
functionality, these meetings are common
solutions for projects. “We faced an external
at universities but they are now seeing their
barrier because others were not familiar
peak in the business world.
with the resources, but this was easy to overcome,” said Torres. Using Within3,
“We identified how some of the team members could engage easier and on n their own terms. We learned that some stakeholders and KOLs would contribute in the middle of the night, which would not have worked in a real-time meeting, so we could have lost that input.
the Japanese pharmaceutical was able to provide personalized, close attention. “As industry leader, we had to explore these novel interaction resources,” said Torres. “The advisory board was successful because it allowed us to approach members and eliminate the time required to travel and stays in one place for in-person meetings.”
Estefanía Torres Therapeutic Area Lead Immunology Director of Takeda
The Within3 platform allowed Takeda to receive the true value of meetings and receive the true message each stakeholder wanted to communicate. “This process was
“Typically, the capabilities of anytime
much more effective than anything we did in
virtual meetings are based on conversation,
the past,” said Torres. Takeda has continued
like social media,” Hill said. Within3 has
to schedule real-time virtual meetings but
taken the benefits of these meetings and
these are now different because they are
created a platform that allows conversation,
complemented by the insight obtained from
documents and co-authoring it also has a
the platform, said Torres. “We integrated
language translation and medical dictation.
the platform to in-person meetings, making
“One of the largest benefits of the Within3
them much more effectively.
platform is that it offers a structured output that is easier to understand for the company.”
Teams appreciated the platform’s time flexibility and the different ways it allowed
Within3 worked with Takeda, a multinational
users to engage, said Torres. “We identified
pharmaceutical company with an innovation-
how some of the team members could
driven approach focusing on oncology,
engage easier and on n their own terms. We
gastroenterology, central nervous system
learned that some stakeholders and KOLs
and vaccines, to facilitate project continuity.
would contribute in the middle of the night,
“Takeda faced barriers to engagement due
which would not have worked in a real-time
to the disruption of in-person meetings
meeting, so we could have lost that input.”
caused by the pandemic,” said Estefanía Torres, Therapeutic Area Lead Immunology
Hill explained that people’s personalities
Director at Takeda. “But we need these kinds
really shine through in real-time meetings,
of engagements to embrace and find the
but those are not always positive. By using
solutions we intend to deliver to patients.”
the Within3, Takeda realized that people
19
C onfe r ence H ighlights that would not usually participate engaged
of the physicians would prefer a hybrid
more actively through the platform.
engagement, so it is important to have this in mind to promote technology and in-
“The future is for us to continue embracing
person meetings, which is why Takeda does
this type of platforms,” says Torres. “At
the in-person or real-time meetings after it
Takeda we learned that over 50 percent
had insights from the online platform.”
BETTER CARE THROUGH AN INTERCONNECTED HEALTH SYSTEM An interconnected health system can have
outside of Mayo Clinic, not only nationally
a major impact on health services. Through
but internationally as well.”
technology and by sharing information, healthcare providers can improve their
The clinical outcomes that Mayo
internal performance and provide better
Clinic has witnessed as a result of the
care to patients. However, the challenges
interconnectedness of its processes have
in interconnecting the entire healthcare
earned the hospital a top ranking among
ecosystem are still many.
the world’s leading hospitals. This not only demonstrates that the hospital delivers
Mayo Clinic, founded in 1889 and present in
good patient care but also shows patient
Mexico through partnerships with hospitals
preference, said Solis Padilla, which in
including Medica Sur, knows that after
turn leads to good financial results. “In
a patient visits one of its clinics, they do
healthcare, the most complex patient issues
not have to repeat their medical history
are the most cost-effective. A subspecialty
at another. Through its interconnected
practice is always more profitable than an
technology platform, the hospital has seen
internal medicine practice.”
major benefits in patient outcomes. “When a patient has consistency in their medical
For Jorge Camargo, CEO of healthcare tech
histor y, amazing things happen,” said
company ECARESOFT, interconnectedness
José Solís Padilla, Senior Administrator
is synonymous with better communication
for International Business Development
between hospital departments, between
at Mayo Clinic. “Usually patients come to
hospital and doctor and even between
us for very complex medical issues and
healthcare providers. This challenge, he
that is why we have taken on the task of
adds, is not exclusive to companies in the
generating a technology platform that
healthcare sector but to any industry looking
has two-way communication with doctors
to improve their internal communication.
20
C onfe r ence H ighlights But for healthcare companies, the challenge
Many healthcare professionals, according
takes a deeper meaning as the patient
to Esteban López, Healthcare and Life
stands in the middle. In the US, deaths
Sciences Market Lead for the Americas
from medical errors are even higher than
at Google Cloud, feel that the medical
the number of deaths from car accidents.
digital transformation has been more of a
“ Many of these accidents could have
hindrance than a help. While doctors like
been prevented if everyone was working
having information in the palm of their
on the same page and looking at the
hands, they also need a system that is as
same information seamlessly,” Camargo
user-friendly as possible so they can focus
explained. “Everyone should be pursuing
on caring for their patients “instead of
the same goals and perceiving the same
struggling to operate computers and other
risks and rewards.”
digital devices,” Lopez said.
To achieve this, technology is already
Google Cloud, which as of 2Q21 holds an
playing a vital role in producing data to
8 percent market share of the global cloud
improve patient care, says Sandra Sánchez-
infrastructure ser vices market behind
Oldenhage, President of PharmAdvice. The
Amazon Web Services and Microsoft ’s
downside, however, is that today’s use of
Azure, offers several strategies that have
that technology has been isolated and
enabled leading healthcare companies to
not interconnected. The evolution of this
meet demands by streamlining operations,
technology should be towards the creation
while improving the patient experience
of a healthcare community that is based on
and simplifying care, Lopez explained.
collaboration rather than competition, said
One of these strategies is secure access to
Sánchez-Oldenhage. “We need to develop
patient information with Google Cloud, a
an interconnected system where there is
storage hub for all data that only authorized
alignment and standardization between
employees have access to but can do so
metrics , health outcomes , incentives ,
from any device. Improving the patient
treatment and prevention protocols across
experience with “fast and easy” virtual
the medical community.” The one caveat,
care has also been one of the approaches
she notes, is data privacy, which institutions
the technology company is offering to the
must strive to protect.
healthcare sector.
TELEMEDICINE, MENTAL HEALTH; HOW THE PANDEMIC CHANGED HEALTH COVID -19 exposed healthcare system
and turn to telemedicine. Some patients
failures but it also showed a new way of
even take for granted that doctors should
providing services due to the acceleration
use digital platforms,” said Enrique Culebro
of the digital revolution. The pandemic still
Karam, Director at Central Media.
going strong and continuously changing the health industry, which will eventually
Mexico is a limited country in terms of health
help the population have greater access to
access. According to OECD, the country is
healthcare services. However, these new
located in 34th place out of its 37 members
opportunities carry big challenges, agreed
in doctors available per 1,000 inhabitants,
industry experts.
last place in hospital beds available per 1,000 inhabitants and 35th in percentage
“With already 70 percent of the population
of GDP used for health expenditure.
with access to internet, the Mexico we live in has changed in many aspects, including in its
Mexicans are more adapted to e-commerce,
approach to healthcare services. Nowadays,
which will affect the business model of health
people inform themselves through social
companies, according to Culebro. Even
media, look for medical solutions on internet
when the pandemic ends, videoconferences
21
C onfe r ence H ighlights
will remain and change the way health
Videoconference usage rate grew 25 times
services are provided.
during 2020, according to Culebro, opening big opportunities not only for telemedicine
COVID-19 also shifted dramatically the
but for doctors’ constant medical learning
mental health industry. “One of the positive
and communication. “Nowadays, there is
aspects of the pandemic is that there is
no need to be flying around the world to
no return to the stigma people had about
keep preparing ourselves or listening to
mental health. Psychiatrists became more
conferences. Even communication with
important than ever after the lockdowns and
colleagues and the pharmaceutical industry
other measures that COVID-19 brought,” said
has become more direct and effective,” said
Edilberto Peña de León, Director General
Peña de León.
at CISNE México. About 70 percent of the global population changed their sleeping
The technological acceleration has been
patterns during the pandemic and depressive
useful in many medical areas but it has not
disorders increased by 20 percent, he added.
replaced in-person visits. While surgical operations still need to be done on-site,
The digital transformation triggered by
telemedicine could help in post-operatory
the pandemic also impacted the mental
monitoring and communication with patients,
health industry, which became more open
according to Iván Encalada Diaz, Vice
to telemedicine, according to Peña de León.
President at Consejo Mexicano de Ortopedia
Remote healthcare opened new possibilities
y Traumatología AC. Telemedicine opens the
for psychiatrists and doctors in general,
field to more possibilities to serve patients.
who are now able to attend patients from different places. “Ten percent of my medical
B e n e fi t s a l m o s t i n v a r i a b l y c a r r y
office’s patients are from different states
responsibilities and challenges. The health
and even countries,” said Peña de León.
sector’s digital transformation is not the exception. The main challenges involve
“In 2018, Mexicans’ peak connection times
regulations and the creation of a clear
were early in the morning and late at night,
legal framework that protects patient data
which means they used these media for
and helps public institutions, according to
entertainment. During the past two years,
Leopoldo Cavazos Castro, Consultant at MYC
usage peaks shifted to the afternoon, which
Asociados en Regulación Sanitaria en México.
tells us that people are using internet for more productive tasks including the search
“It is imperative to create a government
for health information,” said Culebro.
body that standardizes and applies the
22
C onfe r ence H ighlights same regulations at ever y institution.
than reactive,” invest more money in its
COFEPRIS and the Ministry of Health have
healthcare system, strengthen COFEPRIS
already made some advances in this regard.
and boost biocompatible medicines. “A
The ideal scenario is that every actor from
strong COFEPRIS creates a strong industry
the industr y, doctors, pharmaceutical
and guarantees people’s access to quality
companies, public institutions and patients
and affordable medicines. Generic drugs
o p e rate u n d e r th e s a m e , cl e a r l e g a l
are used when economic situations demand
framework. Also, accelerating COFEPRIS’s
it. That is exactly what we need in Mexico:
approval mechanisms would help both the
to produce quality generic medicines to
industry and people to have earlier access to
fight against the most common illnesses,
effective treatments,” said Cavazos.
such as chronic-degenerative diseases,” said Maciel. The Mexican health system will
Standardization is not only important
improve with collaborative work between
in regulation but also in the medic al
the different players of the industry, he
p ro ce d u re s th e m s e lve s . “ O n e of th e
argued highlighting the importance of the
biggest issues with our health system is
generics pharmaceutical industry to boost
standardization. We have more than 10
affordable, quality drugs.
systems, such as IMSS, ISSSTE, Pemex and private sector, and surgical matters
A n o t h e r b e n e fi t f r o m t h e d i g i t a l
are treated differently in each of them. Itis
transformation brought about by the
difficult to have a correct, complete medical
pandemic are digital prescriptions, which
file, either physical or electronic in this way,”
need special regulation but could develop
said Encalada.
a safer environment, according to Cavazos. Mexicans’ interest in researching medical
Prevention c ampaigns and several
stuff on internet have also forced doctors
adjustments are needed for the Mexican
to create a digital persona. “Doctors have
healthcare system to improve, according to
become digital. Our work is graded, rated
Rafael Enrique Maciel Martínez, President
and judged online. Patients search for the
at Asociación Mexicana de Genéricos.
best doctors and we now have to work
He argued that the pandemic showed
in creating a digital personality,” said
that Mexico has to be “more proactive
Peña de León.
PREVENTIVE HEALTH LEADS TO BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE, HIGHER GDP A few years ago, Novartis took part in a
Mexican patients only seek healthcare
study on the impact of preventive medicine
ser vices when the disease is already
in Guanajuato’s automotive sector. The
presenting complications. To address this,
results were astounding: health absences
primary attention should change to focus
and ill people going to work costed the
on population groups that are most likely
sector 7.31 percent of its contribution to
to get ill but are not aware,” says Jaime
the GDP. “This is just one sector in one
Fragoso, Director of Processing Centers of
state. At the national level, the benefits of
Laboratorio Medico Polanco.
preventive medicine can add up to many GDP points,” says Fernando Cruz, Country
According to public records diabetes is the
President and Head of Corporate Affairs and
top death cause in the country. If prevented,
Communication in Novartis Group Mexico.
it can bring significant savings that could be invested in more preventive strategies.
In Mexico, preventive medicine is not
Fragoso highlights that Mexico’s total
a priority and it takes a considerably
expenditure on diabetes is about US$3.43
number of resources from private and
billion per year, which includes tests and
public healthcare entities. “Traditionally
preventive measures. If a fraction of that
23
C onfe r ence H ighlights
expenditure could be spent on preventing
more health conscious and approaches the
diabetes, greater savings could be achieved.
healthcare systems before turning 40 and
“If we invest US$185 million, which is around
begin to be monitored for all diseases earlier
5 percent of the total expenditure on diabetes
than the general population. This way, their
now, on preventing the disease among the
life expectancy can be not only similar has
population between 20 and 30 years old, we
the potential to be larger because future
can save up to between 50-70 percent of the
complications can be prevented or addressed
total expenditure,” said Fragoso.
early,” said Fragoso.
Chronical illnesses, such as diabetes, require
To create a solid preventive healthcare system
more than just addressing the decease,
in Mexico, the sector should agree on a long-
explained Gabriela Allard, President of the
term vision. “We need to understand the
Mexican Diabetes Association. Preventive
healthcare system we want for the future.
health is also about empowering the patient
First, we need a vision that includes financial
to become a health promoter within their
sustainability to materialize a healthcare
community. “Health promotion and education
system where prevention is fundamental
is not directed equally to all sectors. Patients
and where we can guarantee universal
should become health promoters to identify
healthcare. A long-term vision will require us
all those risks factors and prevent the
to leave behind the short-term vision present
illness in other members of their immediate
in the system, which is mostly based on a
environment. It is not only about the
transactional model,” says Cruz.
medicine or pocket expenditure, but about an individual’s entire lifestyle. The most
According to figures of the OECD, shared by
important element is to empower the patients
Cruz, Mexico has 1 bed per 1,000 inhabitants
with the information they need,” said Allard.
while the average in the organization is 4.4 beds. As for medical talent, Mexico has 2.4
The effects of preventive medicine can be seen
doctors per 1,000 inhabitants while in the
in populations across the globe. For example,
OECD average is 3.5. “A new healthcare
while patients living with HIV can expect a
system will rely on the willingness and the
similar life expectancy than the general public,
advancements of different stakeholders in
some populations of HIV patients in the UK
coverage, medical talent and effective access
have actually enjoyed higher life expectancy
to medicine,” says Cruz.
through preventive actions, according to Fragoso. “The immediate conclusion is that a
A barrier to this vision is that health policies
person that acquires the infection becomes
in Mexico do not differentiate between
24
C onfe r ence H ighlights coverage and access, said Allard. “Access and
develop collegiate society of preventive
coverage are directly related to technological
medicine, argued Fragoso. “ These
capabilities. Diabetes remains the same; what
associations include other stakeholders
has improved patients’ life quality are all
to create par tnerships for preventive
those devices that provide them with a better
education. Also, medical specialization
treatment.”
for preventive medicine is needed in the medical field. These specialists have a
The path forward, she argued, sounds simple
different focus based on biostatistics,
but it might be anything but. “First, we need
epidemiology and other specialties that
to achieve universal healthcare coverage,
could make them the first link to prevent
that is primary attention. Then we can move
future diseases,” he said.
to access different–and most advanced– technologies or treatments,” said Allard. In
A lto g eth e r, th e s e c to r n e e d s a c tive
Mexico, 90 percent of the population use the
participation and will. “We need to educate
public healthcare systems and only one out
patients and take out the ‘magic’ element of
of 10 people use private healthcare.
reactive medicine. Patients should realize that their daily choices bring exponential benefits
To promote preventive medicine, Mexico
to themselves, their families and the country’s
could take a page from other countries and
GDP,” said Allard.
ACCESS TO HEALTH AS A NATIONAL PRIORITY: IMSS Despite the challenges of providing free
health ser vices to all people and
and equal access to healthcare, the Mexican
communities without distinction regardless
Social Security Institute (IMSS) is committed
of their financial capabilities, especially
to delivering universal access. This goal is
m a rgin alize d gro ups , s aid C e r va ntes
a national priority, said Manuel Cervantes
O c a m p o. To a chieve this , th e se c to r
Ocampo, Coordinator of First Level Medical
requires appropriate and competent health
Units at IMSS.
and care personnel, proximity services in communities “where people study, work or
Access to health is defined as “the degree to
live,” equitable distribution of resources and
which individuals and groups of individuals
financial support.
have the ability to obtain the care they require from health care services,” according to the
The third goal of the UN 2030 Agenda for
US National Academy of Medicine. With this
Sustainable Development, which features 17
in mind, Cervantes Ocampo said, governments
goals, states that access to health is “about
are committed to adopting international
ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-
health policies to provide access.
being for all ages.”
“We have guaranteed that people who are not affiliated to social security institutions have access to medical and hospital care, including medicines, healing materials and medical examinations.”
With these international aspects in mind, the National Development Plan (PND) 20192024 of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s administration includes ‘Health for the Whole Population,’ a plan that highlights that “there are millions of people
Manuel Cervantes Ocampo
without access to any institution or modality
Coordinator of First Level Medical Units at IMSS
of the health system or live in conditions without access to coverage.” The former Seguro Popular, which has been turned into INSABI, failed to include conditions such as
As a national priority, access to health
kidney failure or some types of cancer in
implies providing access to comprehensive
its coverage, explained Cervantes Ocampo.
25
C onfe r ence H ighlights The main objective of the current PND is
medicines for the entire population, said
to provide access to effective, universal
Cervantes Ocampo. Likewise, the institute
and free healthcare services. “The
seeks to guarantee the quality and coverage
best example we have is the COVID-19
of institutional services and benefits, “giving
vaccine,” he notes. “We have guaranteed
priority to disease prevention and health
that people who are not af filiated to
promotion.”
social security institutions have access to medical and hospital care, including
Some of these services are being provided
medicines, healing materials and medical
now as part of the IMSS Bienestar program,
examinations.”
which is free for all Mexicans, especially for marginalize d populations . “ Th e
During the current administration, IMSS has
responsibility to provide health services
set as a priority to contribute to universal
lies not only with a few, but with everyone,”
and free access to health services and
said Cervantes Ocampo.
POOR MEDICATION SUPPLY PUTS PUBLIC HEALTH AT RISK Medicine shortages are not a new
are living now began with these decisions
phenomenon but have been increasing
made during the past three years,” said Juan
during past years in Mexico af ter new
Luis Serrano Leets, Partner of Life Sciences
policies affected the industry’s operations.
at Sánchez Devanny.
Compromised medicine supply threatens the healthcare system as a whole by
Centralized purchases helped Mexico
causing additional costs in the search for
in the past. Remote, rural communities
replacements and putting patients at risk,
used to receive medicines later and at
agreed industry experts.
higher costs. The ability to purchase large quantities of supplies, organize them and
“Mexico used to buy medicines and medical
then distribute them through a third party
supplies through a centralized system to
helped keep prices down and supplies
avoid different prices for every institution
available despite the complexities of
and state. The new administration changed
Mexico’s healthcare system.
everything aiming to avoid intermediaries and buy directly from the pharmaceutical
Globally, healthcare systems have been
companies, which caused considerable
facing trouble supplying a wide range
logistic problems. The supply problems we
of medications, including as antibiotics,
26
C onfe r ence H ighlights anesthetics, cancer medicines and
Mexico’s government signed an agreement
cardiovascular medicines, according to
with the UN Project Services Office (UNOPS)
WHO. To address this problem, WHO
and WHO for the consolidated purchasing of
recommended a supplier base that did
medicines, vaccines and medical equipment
not depend on one single supplier or
abroad back in July 2020. Jorge Alcocer,
manufacturer, implementing a risk-based
Minister of Health, said that the goal is to let
public health approach, procuring fair prices,
the UN office guide and provide technical
ethical medicine use, regulation and a patient-
assistance on tenders to INSABI to secure
centric approach. The recent changes in
the best market conditions. This decision
Mexico’s medicine acquisition systems step
was criticized by the national industry.
away from WHO’s recommendations, leading
The sector has not stopped investing and
to shortages. “Mexico is becoming unable
trying to work as a team, according to
to provide medicines to the ones that need
Benjamin Vega, Commercial Director in
them the most,” said Rafael Gual, Director
Allen Laboratories.
General of CANIFARMA. “The industry continues investing and trying The main challenge for the pharmaceutical
to work as a team with all actors involved.
industry on these turbulent times is to keep
We look to create synergies between
its prices fair, said Enrique Liñero, Country
suppliers, laboratories and manufacturers
Head at Sandoz. He stated that Mexicans are
to keep the best possible prices. It is difficult
seeing a worrying increase in their out-of-
to have direct communication with the
pocket expenses in healthcare matters,
complex system and UNOPS, making it very
which increased from MX$2,358 (US$118) to
difficult to negotiate raw materials with our
MX$3,299 (US$165) per quarter between
suppliers,” said Vega.
2018 and 2020, according to the Economic Budget Investigation Center (CIEP).
The decision to cut intermediaries taken by the Federal Government ended with
“We have not stopped trying to strengthen communication between the industry and government institutions, looking for transparency that allows us to keep responding to the country’s needs,”
20 years of centralized purchases. The syste m use d favore d th e creation of “concentrators,” distribution companies that offered very specific services such as taking medical supplies directly to surgery rooms and hospitals in general. Before 2019,
Orlando Aguirre
in Mexico there were over 1,000 distributors,
Government Sales Director, Market Access & Pricing of Merck Group
with roughly 60 of them focused on public institutions, according to El Economista. These distributors used to take care of
The industry has made big efforts to keep
the complex logistics of millions of units,
its lowest possible prices as many people
th at we re u su a lly m a d e by d i ff e re nt
are turning to the private sector. “ We
laboratories to successfully cover the great
have not stopped trying to strengthen
demand. In centralized purchases, even
communication between the industr y
transportation prices were included. The
and government institutions , looking
new administration did not understand
for transparency that allows us to keep
the complexity of the distribution system,
re s p o n d in g to th e co u ntr y ’s n e e d s ,”
said Jesús Arenas Wiedfeldt, Corporate
said Orlando Aguirre, Government Sales
Communication Director at Maypo.
Director, Market Access & Pricing at Merck Group. But for pharmaceutical companies, it
“Distributors do a very complex job. The
became challenging to do correct planning
new administration did an incomplete
with their suppliers and clients, given the
diagnosis and now faces logistic problems.
uncertainties, explained Aguirre.
Large quantities of medicines and supplies
27
C onfe r ence H ighlights need to be handled in different inventories
solution can only come from efficient,
by institution, dispatched depending on
transparent communication. Eliminating
consumption frequencies, with a ver y
shortages is crucial for the development of
detailed picking and packing. We are
Mexico, said Arenas, because health means
trying to explain to decision-makers how
productivity, longer life expectancy and
important our job is,” said Arenas.
efficiency.
From Februar y 201 9, the M exic an
“As an industry, we can do our best effort,
organization Zero Shortage has received
but it is necessary to work as partners
4,504 reports of shortages of medicines
of the government, as a team, always
or medical supplies in public healthcare
with a patient-centered focus. We need
institutions across Mexico. From January
interaction, communication and exchange
to April 2021, the organization covered
of ideas,” said Aguirre.
30 states, 94 percent of the country, and received 773 shortage reports from patients
The changes also hit Mexico’s economy, with
and healthcare workers. Reports from
transnational companies being discouraged
the first four months of 2021 increased
f rom coming to M exico a n d national
by 33 percent compared to 2020’s last
companies seeing fewer possibilities to go
four months.
out to the international market, according to Serrano. To thrive, the sector needs
The medicine supply problem affects
good communication between the private
everyone involved, from the government
and public sectors and a long-term mindset
to the industry and patients. An integral
when making decisions.
COUNTERFEIT DRUGS THREATEN HEALTH, PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY The globalization of medicine trade has
medicines in online websites, added Pond.
le d to the grow th of pharmace utic al
The pandemic also made criminals bolder.
counterfeiting, a significant threat that
Eight months prior to its development, a
put millions of patients at risk but has
supposed COVID-19 vaccine was already
been largely unaddressed . Analy tical
being offered online. “In Mexico, a fake
authentication technologies are some of the
Pfizer vaccine have been identified in the
most effective methods to identify active
market recently. The problem is that these
pharmaceutical ingredients and impurities,
fake drugs do reach the market.”
but most of these techniques are expensive and require highly-skilled staff. To address
Despite of the numbers and the known
this problem, Colorcon has developed a
dangers of counterfeit medicines, this
disruptive cost-effect product to fight drug
problem has grown by over 70 percent
counterfeit.
from 2015 to 2019. “This is a low-risk, high reward activity, with very low penalties and
“Whenever a person does an online search
with free access to high-technology to carry
for medicines, around 50 percent of them
it out.” According to Pond, there are over
are led to a fake website,” said Gary Pond,
600 illegal pharmacies entering the market
Global Product Authentication Lead at
each month.
Colorcon. Drug counterfeiting costs about 1 million lives per year, he explained. For
Mexico ranks sixth in the Top 10 illegal
the global pharmaceutical industry, this
medication markets and about 60 percent
problem costs US$200 billion per year.
of the medicines sold in the country are stolen, expired or falsified, according to
Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic led to an
AMIIF. “As a result, the measures agencies
exponential increase in the false postings of
take to prevent counterfeit are already
28
C onfe r ence H ighlights being evaluated, since everything is focused
levels (ppb). The tagging has no impact on
on packages,” said Pond.
analytical measurements such as chemical/ API assays . Second , is a silica based
“Current tracking protections are always on
microtaggant, that takes advantage of the
the secondar y package, rarely on the
common use of silica dioxide as an excipient
primary package and almost never on the
because it is chemically inert, extremely
tablet itself.” Pond explains that this
resilient and considered GRAS by FDA. Tt
secondary-package protection can be easily
has an inclusion level approximately 0.03
falsified. “Barcodes/tacking numbers can be
percent of tablet.
easily copied, packages are discarder and reused, the ability to verify an individual
“These solutions are easy to adopt in
pack is not global and only limited to a
existing Opadry Fil Coating, as it already
specific country or region, and illegal online
has the taggant mixed in it, so the coating
pharmacies are driving growth of falsified
process does not have to change and
medicines.”
there is not major investment required in the manufacturing process of the tablets,”
“The microtaggant we are utilizing is described by the FDA as a physical-chemical identifier (PCID) and the agency recommends using these technologies in addition to serialization”
explained Pond. The taggants can be detected through a PCR MACHINE or a Portable PCR that can be connected to a phone. Pond shared that a smartphone application is under
Gary Pond
development and will broaden access,
Global Product Authentication Lead of Colorcon
leading the way for a wider digitalization of medicines. The app will take a picture of the tablet and determine if it is real or not in seconds by reading a customizable message
To address this problem, Colorcon has
by the manufacturer of the drug. The app
developed an On-Dose Authentication
can also include patient support reminders
Compliments Serialization called SoteriaRX,
to ensure they follow their treatment and
which is a covert microtaggant, a molecular
give them information about the product.
DNA taggant and a silica taggant incorporating directly onto the tablet via
“ The microtaggant we are utilizing is
the film coating. This technology is not
described by the FDA as a physic al-
detectable to the naked eye. “SoteriaRX
chemical identifier (PCID) and the agency
is a tablet coating with a built-in taggant,
recommends using these technologies in
meaning that the tablet becomes the
addition to serialization,” said Pond bout the
barcode itself,” said Pond.
regulatory status of the development. It is a NoTox Primary Pharmaceutical Packaging
“SoteriaRX is a tagged fil coating with
Ink, allowing drug delivery applications
invisible tagga nt s , co ntaining co d e d
beyond solid oral dose with no need to
information, placed into Opadry film coating
open package to authenticate available
or primary packaging inks. Its detection
for blister packs, bottle seals, desiccants,
method is decoded and read by custom
transdermal patches, inserts and other
software using desktop reader or standard
applications. Pond explains that de FDA
smartphone.
marked SoteriaRX as an excipient submitted on a level 1 report.
Colorcon offers two different taggant solutions. The first are molecular taggants
The product benefits the supply chain by
made with synthetic DNA. These are very
enhancing the quality assurance processes
difficult to detect and use fully synthetic,
to counter fraud. These solution offers a
non-biological DNA in part per billion
broad range of benefits for patients, supply
29
C onfe r ence H ighlights chains operators, pharmacists, hospitals,
as the microtaggants are added directly into
markets and regulatory agencies. This
the coating system. With this innovation,
technology can also be applied outside of
companies are now able to uniquely tag
the pharmaceutical sector. “Nutraceutical
their tablets and authenticate them in the
com pa nies c a n also in clud e on - d ose
field using a desktop reader.” SoteriaRX will
authentication with little change to their
be commercially available soon and the app
typical film coating manufacturing process,
will be ready to download in 2022.
PHARMACEUTICAL INNOVATION’S ULTIMATE GOAL: PATIENTS Behind pharmaceutical innovation are long
to n ove l tre atm e nt s th at cre ate re a l
efforts and large investments. However, the
transformative change for patients, their
main goal of innovation is only achieved
families and their environment,” said
when it reaches the patient, a path that is
Cynthia Ramírez, Communications Director
still fraught with challenges in Mexico.
of AMIIF. “ What was once untreatable is now becoming treatable.” The value
In the last few years, access to basic
of innovation, however, only becomes
sanitation, clean water, immunization and
meaningful when it reaches the patients
access to pharmaceuticals have been
who need it. Achieving this is no easy
critical drivers of health improvement, said
task, says Ramírez, as everyone in the
Cristobal Thompson, Executive Director of
healthcare ecosystem, from patients to
the Mexican Association of Pharmaceutical
service providers, doctors, researchers,
R e s e a rc h I n d u s tr i e s (A M I I F ). G l o b a l
pharmaceutical companies and healthcare
economists point out that in the last 100
institutions, needs to accelerate access
years at least a third of economic growth
pathways to pharmaceutical innovation so
and development has been driven by access
that patients have access to new treatments.
to innovative therapies worldwide. In short, being healthy increases quality of life and
Access must be provided on time, which
wellbeing, explained Thompson.
has not yet been achieved in Mexico as regulatory processes are slow. “Until a year
The speed at which innovations arrive to
ago we had a big bottleneck in COFEPRIS’
the market and the industry pipeline play
New Molecules Committee, which was not
an active role in patients’ quality of life. “We
operating,” Thompson said. “Albeit with
are moving from mitigating the impact of
the arrival of Alejandro Svarch to lead the
diseases through symptom management
commission, the processes have accelerated
30
C onfe r ence H ighlights for new therapies.” Despite this progress,
over the last century have addressed the
Thompson mentioned that the bottleneck
diseases challenging the sector, such as HIV,
now lies in the issuing of registrations
which has seen a 60 percent decrease in
because there are still 22 pending
deaths compared to 2004. More recently,
registrations to bring the medicines into
she noted, the COVID-19 vaccine that has
the country to treat those who need them.
lowered the risk of hospitalization is a sign of “early accessible innovation.”
A solution to process delays, while vital for innovation, is just one of many potholes that
The pandemic is an unprecedented event
are holding the industry back, says Angeles
where collaboration between different
Martínez, Senior Principal and Head of
stakeholders of the healthcare ecosystem
Consulting for North Latin America at IQVIA.
has taken place at a global scale, added
Mexico, unlike other countries like Brazil,
Country Medical Director of Sanofi Genzyme
the US or Japan, still has many areas of
Antonio Loaeza. “This has given us the
improvement to make innovation accessible.
opportunity to bring new technologies
While in Mexico it takes over four years to
and biologic platforms like those using
make a treatment available, in other regions
messenger RNA (mRNA), which are gaining
of the world it can take less than two. “All the
strength in areas such as oncology and
changes that have taken place in the health
immunology.” In Mexico, Sanofi recently
system have also generated some uncertainty
launched a product for moderate to severe
and delays in processes that used to work
atopic dermatitis “that otherwise would not
properly.” IQVIA, which has provided health
have had a specific treatment,” Loaeza said.
information technology and conducted clinical research since 1982, found in a recent
According to Davel, who also chairs the Latin
study that countries that allocate a higher
American Federation of the Pharmaceutical
percentage of government spending to health
Industr y (FIFARMA), pharma’s global
services have much healthier populations.
investment in 2020 was approximately US$188 billion, while this year the figure
Wo r k i n g i n p a r t n e r s h i p r a t h e r t h a n
is estimated to exceed US$200 billion.
individually in the healthcare ecosystem is
“The efforts we have made to digitize the
another step towards bringing innovation
approval of registrations is fundamental to
to patients. Florencia Davel, VP and General
get this innovation to patients earlier and to
Manager for Latin America of Bristol Myers
bring more clinical research to the region’s
Squibb, explained that scientific advances
markets,” she states.
TECHNOLOGY, DIGITALIZATION: THE CHALLENGES OF INTEGRATION The digital transformation in healthcare is
usage rate across the countr y. But in
reshaping interactions between patients
th e ir g o a l to d ig it a lize th e in d u s tr y,
and health professionals. Innovation has
players are undertaking isolated efforts
become crucial with actors trying to take
that will not lead to a real integration
full advantage of technology to improve
of the different ecosystems, explained
their business models, have more efficient
Jesús David Díaz Garaygordobil, CIO at
operations and explore new opportunities in
CHRISTUS MUGUERZA.
the market. However, being a highly regulated industry that mainly follows traditional
“There are two key points for integration
processes has made its digital transformation
to happen in the health industry: technical
rough, agreed industry experts.
aspects and public policies. For the latter, there have to be clear regulations, benefits
Technology penetrated Mexico faster
and incentives for companies to invest their
in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,
money. For the technical approach, we need
wh i c h a cce l e rate d th e d ig it a l m e d ia
interoperability standards,” said Díaz.
31
C onfe r ence H ighlights
Interoperability standardization allows
Insurance companies have implemented
d i ff e re n t d a t a s ys te m s , d ev i ce s a n d
primar y at te ntion clinic s to promote
systems to access, exchange, integrate
healthcare to their clients. Technology
and cooperatively use information while
played a key role during the pandemic
breaking organizational, regional and even
by allowing thousands of telemedicine
national boundaries. If some players, such as
consultations, according to Sobrino.
insurance companies, do not have access to the information of other players like hospitals
As digitalization continues moving forward,
and vice versa, digitalization will not reach
more challenges appear. Telemedicine
its biggest potential, according to Díaz.
has helped thousands have access to doctors more efficiently. However, virtual
While full integration looks complex,
consultation still lack regulations for good
companies form the health industry are
practices. Furthermore, the sector lacks
already taking advantage of the technology.
regulation for digital prescriptions, which
“Digitalization helps us reducing time and
the doctor’s services and pharmacies. “Until
costs. The pandemic reshaped internal
mid-2018, regulation foresaw only the use of
workflows and optimized some processes,
a hand-written signature for prescriptions.
made them less bureaucratic, helping us
That year, the Ministry of Health amended
stick better to schedules,” said Carlos
the applicable regulation for medical
Flores, Chief Innovation Officer at Nadro.
services (mainly the Secondary Regulations for Health Services) to recognize a digital
Integration of health ecosystems will bring
or electronic signature for prescriptions.
benefits to everyone involved, including
It was great news. Unfortunately, it did
the government, public institutions, private
not solve the problem, as the regulation
sector and ultimately, the patient, who is the
for pharmacies (mainly the Secondary
“guiding thread” of the industry, according
Regulations for Medical Products and the
to Díaz. Insurance companies, for instance,
Supplement for Establishments of the
continue expanding their services thanks to
Mexican Pharmacopeia) remained the
technology advances. “Insurance companies
same. Many pharmacies did not recognize
are trying to integrate more services besides
ele c tronic prescriptions b e c a use th e
the insurance itself. Services that allow us
regulation applicable to them still required
to know our client, the patient, better and
a hand-written signature and they feared a
give them the best possible attention,” said
sanction from the regulator if they deviate,”
Héctor Sobrino, Director of Health Services
wrote Christian López-Silva , Par tner-
a n d Tra n s fo r m atio n of A X A / Ke ra lt y.
Healthcare and Life Sciences at Baker
32
C onfe r ence H ighlights McKenzie, and Carlos Vela, Partner-Head of
health and prevention. “It is not only about
Technology, Media and Telecomm at Baker
implementing technology. We need cultural
McKenzie, on MBN.
changes implemented through an integral campaign that promotes health prevention.
E-prescriptions could boost the entire
Mexicans tend to notice the importance
telemedicine business model and
of health only when they are sick, it is
benefit patients, who will be able to have
important to take care early and prevent
consultations with doctors form different
diseases,” said Sobrino.
cities and even receive their medications at home. Physicians will be able to monitor how
W ith th e p ati e nt b e in g th e “g uid in g
treatments are working and have immediate
th re a d ” uniting th e diffe re nt se c tors
communication with their patients,
inside the industr y, a fully-integrated
according to Flores. “E-prescriptions would
ecosystem is achievable, according to Díaz.
be very helpful, much more now with the
Technology implementation will lead to a
pandemic. Regulations are not clear enough,
democratization of health and “more social
not all medications are covered by the law.
justice.” For the private sector standpoint,
Under clear regulation, a patient could
technology allows different stakeholders to
have a quality telemedicine consultation,
access more information immediately.
prescription and medicines delivered home within very few hours.”
“As stakeholders we have to become a bridge between regulatory institutions, such
Health System First
as the Ministry of Health and its regulatory arms. We need to keep working to overcome
Mexico’s health system is very complex
problems, such as the e-prescriptions.
and faces all kinds of challenges. While
Mexico is in the correct path; it has the
technology can help it solve some of them,
stakeholders and opportunities and it is
first actions must be taken to address
just a matter of reaching agreements and
coverage, supply, the democratization of
working together,” said Díaz.
DIAGNOSIS PREVENTS ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE Antimicrobial resistance (AM R) is an
the body’s bacterial flora or by propelling
unattended global health issue that claims
evolutionary changes in microorganisms
millions of lives per year. Multinational
that confer them resistance to antimicrobial
diagnosis companies are using technology
drugs. Bacteria, parasites, viruses and
to prevent the spread of these deadly
fungi can become resistant to common
pathogens.
treatments and continue growing to the point when infectious diseases become
The development of antibiotics
impossible to treat.
transformed medicine, changed health provision and life expectancy. But an
Globally, about 700,000 people die each
excess use of antibiotics can lead to the
year from medication resistant tuberculosis,
development of antimicrobial resistance
HIV, malaria and staph infections. Hector
either by a modification of the ecology of
Barillas, Country Manager at bioMérieux, explained that resistance also doubles
“Globally, about 700,000 people die each year from medication resistant tuberculosis, HIV, malaria and staph infection”
the possibility of developing a healthcare complication and increases the possibility of death due to the limitation of antibiotic treatments . According to B arillas ,
Héctor Barillas
antimicrobial resistance could claim 10
Country Manager of bioMérieux
million lives a year by 2050, a higher death toll than cancer.
33
C onfe r ence H ighlights In Mexico, antimicrobial resistance is a public
that provides the results. Its use is to be
health concern as it represents a barrier to
encouraged. Microbiology laboratories are
combat common infections but companies
essential, they support the medical parties
like bioMerieux are developing support
to make correct and assertive decisions.”
programs to address this global issue.
To deliver exact results, laboratories should
bioMerieux’s tools for syndromic diagnoses
prioritize: “automation to take advantage
have changed the game for doctors and
of technology; process integration through
patients. Suria González, Infectionist of
the use of automation; and people and
bioMérieux explained that bioMerieux PCR
team work,” explained Julian Jiménez, Lab
Multiplex for syndromic diagnosis has been
Specialist of bioMérieux.
useful when dealing with viral infections that are not diagnosed by viral cultures, such as
Automation has transformed microbiology
meningitis. “bioMérieux PCR panels give an
laboratories, argued Jiménez. “Antibiotic
answer readily. They identify with exactitude
susceptibilit y test s are one concrete
the microorganism causing the problem,
example. Many aspects of manual processes
which is difficult to determine.”
can go wrong. For example, while collecting a sample it can be contaminated or collected
bioMerieux’s gastrointestinal panels can
incorrectly, which delays and hinders the
work for viral or parasitic infections. “Sepsis
process.” Jiménez said that sometimes
is another complex and urgent problem to
there multiple pathogens present in samples
solve. Patients could lose three days while
and it is difficult to recognize what causes
waiting for results but these PCR test can
the infection.
do it in within an hour,” said González. Fast diagnosis eliminates the need to apply
“The laboratory integrates technological
extra antibiotics and prevents their abuse,
solutions to offer the results in real time
decreasing the risk of creating microbial
and help doctors make a timely decision. We
resistant pathogens. This also leads to
are committed to improving the laboratory-
shorter treatments that are more targeted
clinical part relationship,” said Jiménez.
and have less sequelae.
bioMérieux’s goal is to understand the path each sample takes to improve their approach
“Pneumonia is one of the most common
to the patient. “One of our solutions
complications that cause sepsis,” she
provides an integrating vision of the results,
said, “and bioMérieux panel helps reduce
which also saves time in the very repetitive
nosocomial infections that have a high
culture process.” Repetitive processes lead
mortality type pneumonia.” These infections
to tired operators, which leads to human
are more common in intensive units or
errors. “After the whole day of culture
hospitalization areas. bioMérieux pneumonia
isolation, those at the laboratory are tired.
panel simplifies culture development time
Automation helps them save time and allows
in the lab. “The new panel detects two
them to focus on interpreting results.”
different microorganisms, when others detect only one. If the other is not isolated,
bioMérieux integration of technology
we cannot correctly orient ourselves to give
also helps with cost reduction. “The less
a more targeted therapy,” said Gonzaléz.
control in antibiotic consumption, the more
These panels give a broad spectrum to
resistance, which sharply increases costs
give doctors information to avoid the use
for the entire health system,” explained
of unnecessary antibiotics that cause shock.
Gonzaléz. “It is not the same to use a maximum of three antibiotics per patient
Technology has played a significant role in
than three whole packages. Additionally,
achieving these testing capacities, said David
overuse of antibiotics can lead to kidney
Godínez, Medical Advisor of bioMérieux.
or liver failure.” This also leads to more
“Technology determines the operation and
infections because the more resistant the
limitations of the microbiology laboratory
microorganisms are in intensive units, the
34
C onfe r ence H ighlights more in-hospital pneumonia cases increase,
the pandemic. “With the pandemic, doctors
he explained.
had to follow different protocols due to the reconfiguration of the ICUs. Antibiotics were
Gonzaléz urged action to tackle
also abused in several cases of pneumonia
antimicrobial resistance, especially after
and the consequences can be significant.”
STATE-OF-THE-ART MEDICAL DEVICES SUPPORT VALUE-BASED MODELS On the road to a value-based healthcare
treatment and monitoring, have the ultimate
model (VBHC), medical devices play a
goal of improving patient outcomes at lower
unique and vital role by creating track
costs. These benefits also translate into
records and making patient treatments more
financial and operational advantages for
cost-effective. However, challenges such as
healthcare providers, adds Paolini. “I cannot
lack of data and slow regulatory processes
imagine a value-based healthcare system
lead to an incohesive healthcare ecosystem.
that does not consider medical devices at the heart of its value proposition.”
Medical devices are critical to the valuebased model, which incentivizes healthcare
A value-based healthcare model
providers to focus on the quality of services
implemented by a UnitedHealthcare hospital
provided rather than quantity, said Alejandro
and medical devices company Medtronic
Paolini, Managing Director for Mexico, Central
benefite d both companies , repor t s a
America and the Caribbean at Siemens
study by Deloitte previously reported by
Healthineers. “When we talk about medical
Mexico Business. The model was for the
devices we have to consider everything from
implementation of an insulin pump therapy
a simple face mask or a digital thermometer
and while it helped Medtronic gain new
to the most sophisticated equipment such as
users, it brought UnitedHealthcare cost
an MRI or a Da Vinci surgical system,” he said.
savings between 20-30 percent.
“If there is one positive thing we can take away from this pandemic, it is that the role
The amount of information that medical
that medical devices play in any healthcare
devices are capable of generating, storing
system has become clear.”
and analyzing is just a glimpse of the potential that these tools have in a value-
Medical devices, embedded in the entire
based model, says J uan Gabriel Gay,
healthcare cycle of prevention, diagnosis,
Managing Director of IT Healthcare. In
35
C onfe r ence H ighlights addition, the cost-effectiveness of medical
improving the patient experience. The
devices allows the ecosystem to move faster
incorporation of state-of-the-art technology,
towards “quality rather than quantity.”
he adds, must keep the human factor at the
According to Gay, it is more common today
center of everything.
to find less expensive and more effective medical devices, noting that sensitivity,
Given the outlook for medical devices in the
specificity and specificity positively impact
healthcare sector, innovation priorities for
the cost of care. “The less specificity you
medical device companies like Medtronic
have, the lengthier and therefore more
have shifted to meet the demands of value-
costly the patient process becomes.”
based models. “Medical device outcomes need to be demonstrable to both the
“Collaboration between technology providers, public and private health systems is necessary to tackle this issue,”
healthcare provider and the patient,” said Hector Orellana, Vice President for North Latin America of Medtronic.
Héctor Orellana
Including medical devices in the country’s
VP North Latam at Medtronic
medical ecosystem is also a weapon to address current challenges in the sector, including the increasing saturation of healthc are systems , and ultimately
Wanting to move towards a value-based
improving the health of patients .
model with a noticeable lag in data collection
“ C o l l a b o r a t i o n b e t we e n te c h n o l o g y
is for Gay “like driving a Volkswagen in a
p rovi d e r s , p u b li c a n d p rivate h e a lth
Formula 1 race.” In his view, the amount
systems is necessary to tackle this issue,”
of data that healthcare providers are
said Orellana. “No one’s resources are
collecting today could already have laid the
unlimited but this is a way to achieve cost-
groundwork for a value-based model. “Data
effectiveness in the system.”
is the fuel we need for decision making.” “Medical devices have always provided For Paolini, who also chairs the Mexican
solutions that make life easier for healthcare
Association of Innovative Medical Device
professionals,” said Ana Riquelme, Executive
Industries (AMID), the shift towards a value-
Director of AMID. “They improve quality
based model has to go hand in hand with
of service by lowering per capita costs,
digitalization, “empowering healthcare
enhancing the patient experience and
professionals with new technologies” and
improving coverage.”
DATA PRIVACY, CYBERSECURITY: TEAM RESPONSIBILITIES Technology and digitalization continue
the patients’ reputation would never be
tra n s fo r m i n g th e h e a lth i n d u s tr y by
recovered, which forces us to have strict
allowing stakeholders and patients to take
protocols to access information and to
advantage of automate features. While this
manage it carefully. Technology opens tons
advancement helps the whole sector, data
of opportunities for patients but also tons
privacy, ethics and cybersecurity remain
of risks,” said Pablo Cubela, IT Director of
a concern due to the delicate information
BUPA Mexico.
that the health industry manages, agreed industry experts.
Information must be protected at three different levels, according to Fernando
“Data protection in the health industry is
Gamallo, Director of Information
vital. Even when banks are vulnerated they
Technology at Laboratorios Sanfer. These
have the chance to recover the money lost
are: regulations and a legal framework;
to their clients. With medical information,
companies managing data responsibly ;
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C onfe r ence H ighlights
and at a personal level, having individuals
Data Held by Private Individuals regulates
protect their own information.
the companies’ use of the information. Second, the Federal Law on the Protection
H e a l th c a re d at a b re a c h e s a re ve r y
of Personal Data Held by Obliged Subjects
common across the world. Ninety percent
regulates the government ’s use of the
of healthcare organizations lose data due
information . The National Institute of
to breaches according to Becker’s Hospital
Transparency, Access to Information and
Review. These breaches could be caused
Personal Data Protection (INAI) is the
both unintentionally or by cybercrooks
vigilant body for these matters in Mexico.
targeting this kind of companies to access
“To have a security plan, first you need to
millions’ individual records. The COVID-19
know where, how and who registers data.
pandemic put the health industry in the
Then, how and where it is stored, how is
spotlight of cybercrooks. According to the
it mined, who and when it will be used,”
2021 Identity Breach Report, the industry
said Medina.
experienced a 51 percent increase in the total volume of attacks when compared with 2019.
The health sector was the industry most targeted by cyberattacks in 2020, with 44
Data governance is the pillar of data
percent of all attacks. About 61 percent of
security, according to Victor Medina, Acting
them occur via identity fraud, according
President at HL7 Mexico. Mexico’s public
to Guillermo Bilbao, Director of Health
healthcare system lacks data governance as
Care of Minsait. This makes important that
it provides irregular reports and information.
companies’ employees are trained in data
Data governance is the capability within
protection matters.
an organization to provide and protect high-quality data throughout its entire
“Cyberattacks are more common than
lifecycle, explained AT&T. “This includes
you expec t. We continuously receive
data integrity, data security, availability,
alerts, because a big part of the job is the
and consistency. Data governance includes
monitoring and preventing part. Phishing
people, processes and technology that help
and awareness campaigns to employees
enable appropriate handling of the data
keep everyone ready and keep risks as low
across the organization.”
as possible,” said Cubela.
In June 2009, the 16th constitutional article
Prevention and defense play a big role when
of Mexico was reformed to recognize the
protecting a company’s cybersecurity. But
right of every individual to the protection
what happens if the attack is successful?
of th e i r p rivate i nfo r m atio n , a cce s s ,
Companies must have an emergency
rectification and cancelation of the data.
protocol for cyberattacks that defines how
This norm has two ramifications. First, the
they should respond to these situations,
Federal Law on the Protection of Personal
according to José Arriaga Murcia, CIO at
37
C onfe r ence H ighlights Tokio Marine Mexico. “Nobody is 100 percent
data protection starts with individuals,”
safe even with the best awareness campaigns
said Gamallo. Key to an effective plan
and prevention. Companies need an action
is co n sid e rin g th at so m e d at a co uld
framework, which guides those in charge
be valuable for its owner but not for
and tells them what to do. It is important to
the company holding it and vice versa.
have backups and be always ready for these
Regarding the digital footprint, fewer is
situations to happen,” said Arriaga.
better when sharing information on the internet, said Gamallo.
The Data Journey Ethics when handling data are well defined, The customer journey, usually defined as
agreed experts. However, it is up to every
the sum of experiences that customers
company to follow or ignore those ethical
live when interacting with certain brand,
norms. Data is very valuable and can be
has clear marketing purposes. However,
analyzed for academic purposes, clinical
Gamallo explains that companies need to
research or statistics. “The first step to an
create a “data journey” for cybersecurity.
ethical use of data is to have the owner’s
“ N owadays , we are constantly under
consent. Then, you just have to follow the
attack. We should create the data journey
law, regulations and bioethics norms. It is
and make people aware of the value of
important to anonymize that information to
their information. Responsibility is not
ensure that there is no danger if it falls into
only on companies and governments;
the wrong hands,” said Medina.
WOMEN SHARE THEIR EXPERIENCE AS HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY LEADERS G e n d e r e q ualit y is a priorit y for th e
women and people believing in you and
healthcare sector because there are still
your work, such as mentors and sponsors.”
few women in leadership positions. While the road ahead is still long, female leaders
Growing professionally, “every professional
are taking conscious actions to help more
s h o u l d h ave m e n to r s , s p o n s o r s a n d
women reach leadership positions.
personal board of directors,” said Johnson, “particularly women, who often network lees
“Studies show that men take up 94 percent
due to the gender roles imposed on them.”
of the CEO roles in the biopharmaceutical
When women support women by becoming
in d us tr y,” s aid Flo re n cia Dave l , V ice
a mentor or sponsor, another woman takes
President and General Manager of Latin
that as an example, said Johnson.
America at B ristol Myers Squibb and President of FIFARMA. “Eight years ago,
To build these supportive environments,
when I took a management position in BMS
companies must set clear and tangible
the dominant presence of men at high-levels
objectives. “In order to pave the way forward
meetings was evident. While there are more
and reduce the gender gap, companies
women in leadership positions, there is still
need to implement a clear statement and
a long road ahead.”
agenda. It has to be intentional,” said Luly de Samper, International Vice President of
“When we look outside our own journey,
Medical Devices in Latin America at Johnson
we can see how we are some of the few
& Johnson. “Equality at corporations is not
privileged women that have reached a
only right; it is also smart business.” de
leadership position with no bias imposed
Samper explained that a workforce that
on our work,” said María Johnson, Vice
reflects the people they target is most likely
President of Channels for Latin America
to understand what that segment of the
at Boston Scientific. “This is when you
population needs and wants. “At Johnson
understand you need women supporting
& Johnson, 43 percent of our 130,000
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C onfe r ence H ighlights
employees are women. Additionally, 46
Tolovi. “Men need to understand their role
percent of the management positions and
on achieving gender equality.” However,
above are taken by women.”
gender equality can only be achieved through actions that start at the top.
To achieve gender equality, every policy,
“Leaders that walk the talk. This is general
training, employees research group, talent
management matter,” said Johnson. Massiel
acquisition process, sponsorship program
Nunez, Director Americas at FrontierView,
and flexible work arrangements need to be
also explained that cultures cannot change
planned. Offering maternal and paternal leave
unless leadership is held accountable for
also has to be a priority. Johnson & Johnson
gender equality.
has implemented trainings to promote the conscious inclusion, eliminate unconscious
“Our place as leaders is to lead conversations
bias and foster inclusivity, said de Samper.
and environments,” said Sandra Cifuentes,
The company also created mentoring and
Latam Area Lead of Astellas. There are few
networking forums to intentionally bring
leaders that take care of the mental and
men to the conversation. “The effort is from
physical health of their employees but “if we
women to women but bringing men into
are to lead by example, we need to connect
the conversation is fundamental to stop
with people and be empathic and listen to
expanding the gender gap,” said de Samper.
our female employees.” Astellas has created emotion programs and psychological safe
“I am sure that me and my fellow female
spaces where employees can connect and
leaders were the first and the only women in
share their fears, achievements and how
many rooms but what matters is that we are
they deal their personal and professional
making sure we are not the last. We share a
lives. “We also have programs like Women in
sense of responsibility to end gender bias,”
action and Astellas Girls to motivate young
said Mariana Tolovi, Managing Director of
girls to explore areas like STEM (science,
Latin America at Edwards Lifesciences.
technology, engineering and mathematics),
Elimin atin g g e n d e r bia s b e gin s with
where we see few female participation since
education, explained Tolovi, because people
an early stage.”
need to understand what they are and how to actively identify them. Engage, communicate
As more women become leaders, they can
and educate are the pillars for gender
encourage other women to follow their
equality at Edwards Lifesciences. “Based on
footsteps. “I see many women drop out of
a conscious study we are able to see what is
their careers when they reach management
behind gender inequality to then implement
roles because of their personal lives. I say
a business approach to close the gap.”
to them ‘It can be done!’,” said de Samper. “But it requires passion for what you do, a
Incorporating men in the conversation is the
strong support system and embracing the
secret for gender equality, also explained
challenges that help you grow.”
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