Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Collaborative Innovation & Specialization: Shift from fully internal R&D to a partnership-driven model, with 100+ agreements accelerating advanced therapies.
- Mexico as a Strategic Hub: Eight facilities, including API production, exporting to more than 40 countries.
- Ambitious Growth & Launch Pipeline: Goal to reach 10+ million patients and move toward multiple blockbuster products in the coming years.
- Clinical Research Acceleration: Faster approvals positioning Mexico as a priority trial market, including first global patient enrollment in a lung cancer study.
- Agile Operating Model: Dynamic shared ownership with 90-day resource reviews to drive focus and speed.
- Future-Ready Talent Mindset: Stay curious, build skills, and embrace a capabilities-driven career path.
EF: What are the two greatest achievements of the past decade, and what are the three key priorities or targets we should focus on in the next four years as we move toward 2030?
In the past year, I have seen many changes in the pharmaceutical world. Broadly speaking, some companies focus on generics, while others concentrate on innovation. We clearly belong to the latter group.
Over the last decade, the most important shift has been the rise of specialization. Companies can no longer do everything on their own; collaboration has become essential. At Bayer, we have signed more than 100 agreements with universities, smaller companies, and research institutes with very specific expertise around the world. We have strong internal capabilities, but we cannot do or know everything ourselves, which is why these partnerships are so important.
Some collaborations have progressed so well that we decided to deepen the relationship or acquire the company. BlueRock, for example, specializes in cell therapy. What began as an agreement ultimately led to an acquisition, and today we are working together on projects in areas such as Parkinson’s disease, aiming not only for treatments but for cures.
AskBio followed a similar path in the field of gene therapy, working with Pompe disease. We moved from collaboration to acquisition and are now advancing several clinical trials, including programs in Parkinson’s that seek long-term solutions. Vividion is another partner, focused on small molecules that can reach previously inaccessible targets. With these compounds, we aim to interrupt signals that may be highly relevant in diseases such as cancer.
At Bayer, we combine the talent within the company with the expertise of highly specialized partners and leading research institutes to develop these new therapies. Collaboration is crucial. Specialization is now extremely high, and when we bring together the best of both worlds, highly specialized researchers and companies like Bayer that know how to develop and commercialize products, the real beneficiaries are patients.
EF: You have worked in many places across Africa, Germany, and overlooked Russia. Why did you decide to return to Mexico, and what mission did you set for yourself in this new challenge?
DL: Mexico is a key market and a country; it has significant potential: its economy ranks around 15th worldwide. With more than 120 million inhabitants, Mexico offers many opportunities to improve healthcare. There is strong potential to work with both the private and public sectors to bring better solutions to patients. It is a challenge I value in a country I care about. Our ambition at Bayer is to make Mexico one of the company’s top ten markets in the coming years.
Our portfolio positions us well, particularly in areas where Mexico has pressing needs: oncology, cardiovascular diseases, central nervous system conditions, and rare diseases. In these fields, we can create meaningful impact for society in partnership with patients and healthcare stakeholders. This opportunity strongly motivated my return. Previously, I had a regional role; now I work with a local organization, which I appreciate because it allows us to keep building this story.
Bayer has been in Mexico for more than 106 years and has invested substantially. The country is a major production hub for the company, with more than eight facilities, including three pharmaceutical manufacturing plants. These sites supply not only Mexico but also more than 40 countries, including the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, and Turkey.
Mexico is clearly strategic for Bayer. We even produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) here, something very few global and only a limited number of local companies do. We are committed to continuing to invest, create impact, and prepare the organization to remain strong for the next 100 years.
EF: I would like to take a deeper look at your portfolio. What agenda have you set for Bayer in Mexico for 2026?
DL: We follow a clear global strategy and are focused specialists in defined therapeutic areas. Our core business is cardiovascular disease, oncology, central nervous system disorders, rare diseases, and immunology. We cannot and do not aim to cover everything.
In Mexico, we apply the same strategy and see a strong alignment between the country’s needs and what we can offer. One of our most important products here is a treatment for kidney disease in patients with diabetes. Mexico has more than 15 million people with diabetes, around 12 million diagnosed, and roughly 40 percent will develop kidney disease, which can progress to the point where patients need dialysis or a transplant. This is devastating for people often in their fifties or sixties, and it is also very costly for the public system.
Three years ago, we launched a molecule that can delay chronic kidney disease. If more patients receive it, the impact can be substantial: we can slow progression and help them maintain a healthier life. Mexican authorities have been open to discussing how we can support better treatment and earlier diagnosis. In 2024, the government decided to purchase this product for public institutions, recognizing that it can save lives and free up resources for other conditions.
Our portfolio also includes a treatment for prostate cancer, another major health issue in Mexico, where about one in eight men will develop the disease. This molecule, launched a few years ago, is also being acquired by the public system.
We have long worked in contraception, offering both short-term methods, such as pills, and long-acting options. These are especially important in a country where unplanned adolescent pregnancy is still a concern. We are proud to provide reliable solutions for Mexican women.
In addition, we introduced a hemophilia treatment. In the past, many patients died young; today, they can have a life expectancy comparable to the general population. Our latest innovation reduces injections from two or three times a week to once weekly, which significantly improves quality of life.
These are the areas where we are investing, alongside education, because early diagnosis is essential for treatments to be truly effective. Our vision is to treat more than 10 million patients in Mexico this year, and this purpose guides our decisions. We also have several launches ahead. Next year, we expect to move from one blockbuster medicine to several, with five products at that scale. Some are already available, and others will follow soon, including a treatment for menopause, which is already on the market in the United States. We have submitted the documentation to COFEPRIS and expect approval soon. By 2030, a very large number of women will be going through menopause. Clinical data show that this product can reduce the intensity and frequency of menopausal symptoms by more than 70 percent. We believe it can offer meaningful relief for women facing a phase that often lasts several years and can significantly improve their quality of life.
EF: How are you preparing for growth, and how do you manage this kind of growth?
DL: Our first priority is focus. We cannot rely on products launched ten years ago, and we have to accept that we cannot do everything.
We are piloting a model called dynamic shared ownership. In this approach, we set clear priorities, allocate resources accordingly, and give teams the autonomy to decide how to execute. We review these decisions every 90 days.
This makes the company more agile and allows us to reallocate resources quickly. If a project is not progressing as expected but another shows greater potential, we can shift resources to the more promising opportunity. This requires flexibility and a change in mindset.
We are building launch teams with strong capabilities in product introduction and keeping a sharp focus on future launches. We still care for the entire portfolio, but we direct most resources to products that represent the company’s future and can significantly improve patients’ lives.
For leaders, this is a major shift. Our role is to guide teams, remove obstacles, and help them succeed. Ideas should come from the team, not from leaders telling people what to do.
EF: I would like to shift to innovation, growth, and the pipeline. Mexico seems to be a very relevant market for clinical trials. Can you share more about this part of your footprint in Mexico?
DL: Fortunately, Mexico is undergoing changes that will benefit patients. In the past, clinical trial approvals took so long that the country was often excluded from the global research landscape. Today, the government has a clear commitment to clinical research and to bringing trials back. This shift is already visible in efforts to streamline bureaucracy and accelerate approvals. We have started to see the impact. In a recent global lung cancer trial, Mexico was not only included but also enrolled the first patient worldwide.
I believe that in the coming years, Mexico could double or even triple the number of clinical trials conducted in the country. At Bayer, we are currently running around 10 trials across more than 40 centers, involving over 200 patients. Given our growth and our proven ability to manage complex studies, it is realistic to envision 20 or 30 trials in the near future.
Mexico is an inherently attractive location for research: it has a population of more than 120 million people with significant diversity and is in proximity to the United States. This is especially valuable for advanced therapies such as cell and gene therapies, where modified cells must be transported quickly from specialized laboratories.
All these factors support Mexico’s potential to become a regional hub of innovation. The essential condition is to continue demonstrating to global organizations that trials can be conducted quickly and efficiently, and we have already begun to prove that. For this reason, I am confident that many more clinical trials will come to Mexico in the near future.
EF: What advice would you give to a person in Córdoba, Argentina, who wants to join the life science ecosystem? And what does the company of the future need? What does this person need to hear to join a company of the future?
DL: Curiosity is essential. You must be willing to leave your comfort zone repeatedly, especially if you want to grow within an organization.
The traditional career ladder no longer exists. The company of the future will value skills at least as much as experience. If you want to become truly valuable, your capabilities will define your trajectory.
To build those capabilities, you need to experiment and participate in different types of projects. In the past, growth was almost synonymous with promotion. Forget about promotion. It will come with time. Focus first on learning.
Be ready to raise your hand when a new project appears, especially if it allows you to learn something new. This is what companies are looking for now, and this trend will only intensify. Be curious, step outside your comfort zone, and seek out projects that expand your expertise.
EF: Next year, you will celebrate 20 years at Bayer. What would you like your speech to be like?
DL: For me, it is above all about gratitude for this opportunity. People who work in the pharmaceutical industry are, in general, deeply satisfied with the work we do. When I look back on the projects I have contributed to, I will be celebrating that we stayed true to our purpose.
I have launched many products, met exceptional people, and learned from inspiring leaders. I also hope I have helped others grow in their careers. Most importantly, with every project we bring to a country, we touch the lives of patients, often without them ever knowing. We work in an industry where our efforts are more than a job; they are a privilege. Our purpose drives us to do better, to enhance quality of life, and, ultimately, to save lives.
