Introduction
On September 23, during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s conference, she accused 20 companies of failing to deliver medical supplies and equipment purchased so far this year. This accusation highlights that the shortage of medical supplies in public institutions remains unresolved, and authorities are now searching for those responsible.
Subsecretary Eduardo Clark’s Accusations
Subsecretary Eduardo Clark listed the names of companies allegedly failing to deliver less than half of their committed supplies, including critical oncology medications. He warned that these companies could be disabled if they do not comply by the end of the month.
Official Narrative and Inconsistencies
The official narrative is straightforward: the remaining shortage is solely the fault of these “non-compliant companies.” However, upon closer examination, this narrative crumbles under its own inconsistencies, glaring errors, and contradictions that make it unconvincing.
The List of Accused Companies
The presented list includes companies such as Bioxintegral Servicios (100% non-compliance), Productos Farmacéuticos (88.6%), Serral (83.7%), Comercializadora UCIN (83.6%), Abastecedora Higiénica de Sonora (78%), Médica Polaris (75%), Labco Soluciones Médicas (74%), Grupo Médico Castro Díaz SC (71%), Gelpharma (66%), Puerta del Sol Capital (66.5%), Medical Recovery (66.3%), and Sun Pharma de México (63%). For oncology, the list includes Accord Farma (55%), Zurich Pharma (18%), Laboratorios Pisa (16%), Zeux Lifesciences (16%), Novag Infancia (16%), and Amarox Pharma (9.3%).
Inconsistencies and Errors
Rafael Gual, director of the National Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Canifarma), helped expose these inconsistencies. He stated, “There are many discrepancies; the numbers don’t add up, and it doesn’t correspond to reality.” Gual described the announcement as a crude attempt to avoid responsibility by blaming external parties.
Systemic Issues and Government Failures
These inconsistencies are not isolated incidents but symptoms of a systemic problem that began during this administration with the annulment of the “mega-purchase” in March last year. This opaque process, which has never been adequately explained, led to the cancellation of 175 items due to alleged corruption concerns. The Secretariat for Prevention of Corruption has yet to report on this.
Since then, the government has engaged in numerous acquisition processes, including open biddings, invitations to three providers, restricted invitations, hasty adjudications, and various types of biddings, repeated and clarified. The lack of clarity in these months has created a vacuum that the September 23 explanation attempt only exacerbates.
Contradictions and Mexican Companies’ Denials
The contradictions continue as Mexican companies denied the missing supplies attributed to them. They assert that they have delivered everything agreed upon, and their figures do not match the official ones. This suggests a lack of coordination rather than deliberate non-compliance.
More Inconsistencies and Ignoring the Debt
The most significant inconsistency arises when comparing accusations to reported achievements. During the “people’s conference,” it was stated that supply coverage reached 96-97% in ISSSTE and IMSS, with projections to reach 100% soon. How can this be explained if the companies are so non-compliant? If providers are blamed for the shortage, why is nearly complete supply claimed?
The government accuses and ignores the undeniable: the accumulated debt to pharmaceutical companies, totaling an unprecedented 14 billion pesos. Despite this, companies continue to supply. “The evidence shows that pharmaceutical producers are sustaining the supply despite not being paid,” Gual said. “How can a buyer criticize their unintended financiers?”
Con Bioética Extends Deadlines for Ethics Committees
Finally, Dr. Patricio Santillán, Director General of the National Bioethics Commission (Conbioética), found a way to prevent the renewal of ethics committee registrations from becoming a hurdle for ongoing clinical trials.
To prevent Cofepris from discarding applications for being expired (considering that the committees remain constituted as Ethics Committees for Research), Conbioética issues a letter of extension while their annual reports and evaluations are reviewed for renewal purposes. This was achieved through an agreement allowing Cofepris to accept such letters, ensuring regulated entities can continue processing applications.
Ethics Committees for Research are formed by healthcare institutions conducting medical research. The other two committees are for Research and Biosecurity, where similar modifications are promoted to unify their work.
