Mexico faces massive illegal pharmaceutical market

The Mexican pharmaceutical market exceeds 5.5 billion units annually, with an estimated 140 to 170 million units circulating illegally. According to Alejandro Córdova Motte, Security Director at Canifarma, the industry faces severe issues with the falsification and diversion of products.

Illegal trade occurs frequently in street markets (tianguis) and informal stalls, where medications are often sold at prices up to 80 percent lower than in the formal sector. These products include drugs for diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, and epilepsy, as well as surgical supplies like gloves and syringes. Many of these items are reportedly stolen from public hospitals, collected from trash by scavengers, or are expired.

Beyond the economic impact, which the National Union of Pharmacy Entrepreneurs (Unefarm) estimates at 38.5 billion pesos annually, the primary concern is public health. Informal vendors often expose medications to dust, humidity, and sunlight, failing to maintain necessary safety and custody chains. This unregulated trade violates the General Health Law, which prohibits the sale of health supplies in mobile or street stalls.