Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Regulation and Generics: Mexico has strengthened its regulatory framework and elevated product quality, while greater acceptance of generics has expanded access in an out-of-pocket market.
- From Globalization to Regional Clusters: The shift toward regional clusters opens space for Mexican companies to partner across the Americas and move from a generics-based model toward real innovation.
- Investment Through Concrete Projects: To attract private investment, the region needs clear, integrated projects such as upstream API capabilities, with well-defined locations, roles, and returns.
- Neolpharma and Plan Mexico: Neolpharma is professionalizing under second-generation leadership, using Plan Mexico to drive vertical integration, API production, secure supply chains, and strategic alliances.
- Purpose, Mental Health, and Development: Astrea Ocampo’s mission combines export growth and differentiated value with a strong social role, prioritizing mental health and positioning companies as engines of human development and innovation in Latin America.
EF: If we look back over the past decade in Mexico, what would you highlight as two or three major achievements in the life sciences and pharmaceutical sector? And looking ahead, what is one key objective the industry should focus on in the next five years?
AO: Mexico has undergone many changes. In general, I would highlight two main achievements. First, the regulatory improvements that local companies have embraced are an achievement for the whole ecosystem. Second, the greater acceptance and use of generics.
On the regulatory side, the country has seen significant updates to its regulatory agency and to the laws that govern how companies produce and develop products. This has led to better quality treatments overall. Generic companies, in particular, have had to adapt to these new requirements, which is very positive for patients and the therapies they receive.
Commercially, there is now a much clearer understanding that generics are a powerful tool for both physicians and patients. They expand access because costs are lower, which is critical in a country where most treatments are paid out of pocket. Many national companies have evolved, are now doing R&D, and are looking for new treatments that add more value. At the same time, international companies have developed and commercialized innovative therapies that help improve life expectancy.
Looking ahead, the global economy is undergoing a significant transformation. We are moving from globalization to more regional clusters, driven by geopolitical factors. COVID also exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains and their impact on health. Countries are now trying to reduce dependence on distant suppliers and increase the competitiveness of regional ones. This is an exciting moment for local players, especially Mexican-based companies, to connect with research institutions and organizations across the Americas to assess new technologies and drive innovation.
We need to shift our entrepreneurial mindset to grow not only as individual companies but as a region, creating jobs, improving health delivery, fostering collaboration, and sharing knowledge. It is a good moment to think about new business models, not only in private–private collaboration but also in partnerships between the private sector and public entities.
EF: What can we do to attract investment and resources into life sciences, and specifically into your sector, to strengthen economic growth?
AO: That is one of the key issues for new policies. Many countries in the region want to build new infrastructure, develop human resources, and drive innovation. If we look at successful development models in other parts of the world, they were driven by clear government intentions to develop the sector, supported by tax and financial incentives. That will be difficult for many countries in this region to replicate.
So, we need to think more seriously about private investment. There is interest in investing in this region and in this sector. Life sciences are always attractive because people will always have medical needs. But we need more integrated models and more specific, concrete projects.
Let me give an example with the API business. There are ongoing conversations in the U.S., Mexico, and across LATAM about creating more upstream capabilities. This will require investment, but first, we must define where to locate these projects, what types of investments are needed, and how these public or private companies will interact and sell their products.
We need to design concrete projects that are attractive for private investors to fund, fully or partially. Another key aspect is innovation. For many years, we have been mainly a generic-based manufacturing region. Now is the time to push innovation, not only in products but also in services and technologies. That, in turn, can help attract more investment.
EF: As the new head of Grupo Neolpharma, how are you guiding the transition from a family-founded business to a more professionalized organization, and what role does Plan Mexico play in your plans for growth and vertical integration, including API manufacturing?
AO: This year, we went through that transition, which is both exciting and challenging. In Mexico, 80–90% of the economy is driven by family-owned companies, yet only about 30% make it to the second generation, often due to cultural factors and a lack of planning. Our company has been around for over 36 years. It was founded by Efrain Ocampo, a very driven entrepreneur, who over time built a cluster of vertically integrated companies with the potential to create opportunities in both domestic and international markets.
In this new leadership role, I am very aware of the complexities involved, not only on the managerial side but also in terms of emotional intelligence. My responsibility is to safeguard financial viability and core values while starting to professionalize the company. This means formalizing processes and systems, defining performance metrics, strengthening accountability, and increasing transparency. But that is only the operational part.
Every CEO today must recognize that we operate in a constrained domestic market with intense competition. There has been significant investment in infrastructure, and new entrants from lower-cost regions, particularly Asia, have raised the bar. In this context, companies must move from pure growth strategies to more aggressive defense and differentiation strategies. That requires sustained, high-level investment and innovation in products and services to maintain and grow market share.
This is where Plan Mexico comes in. The projects we presented reflect our strategy for the coming years. One key pillar is vertical integration: we plan to produce APIs in Mexico. We are enthusiastic about delivering a more secure supply chain, not only for our own company but also for third parties, and some investments will be directed there. We know many innovative companies, not as large as big pharma, that also need these services.
We are also looking beyond vertical integration, which already provides important competitive advantages. We are building infrastructure and forging alliances with third parties in Mexico and abroad, including academic institutions and privately owned companies, to bring new products and services to market. Some initiatives focus on chemical synthesis, others on biotechnology. All of this is part of what we outlined in Plan Mexico.
EF: What mission are you setting for yourself in this new role? Where would you like to take the company? And I understand the sensitivities that come with generational transitions.
AO: My goal is to transition from a company that has grown organically and continuously to one with more formal structures, capable of competing internationally and offering differentiated, value-added propositions.
Another important aspect is ensuring that succession remains collaborative. It is essential that non-family executives feel integrated, can develop professionally, and build meaningful careers within the company. While evolution is necessary, the founding values and mission must remain intact, so the company does not lose its core identity. We must also preserve the family’s relationship capital and our capacity to contribute to society.
To summarize my mission, I would highlight two main objectives. First, to keep the company competitive in the domestic market and internationally, with a clear focus on increasing exports. To achieve this, we need differentiated, value-added offerings. Second, companies should not be just profit generators; they should also act as social integrators, providing jobs and opportunities for human development.
In our specific case, we want to contribute to mental health advancement. Psychopharma, one of our key companies, was founded 51 years ago by psychiatrists who wanted patients to have access to treatments that could truly improve their lives. That core value remains. I firmly believe human beings should be happy, and mental stability is essential for people to dream, relate to others, be productive, and for societies and countries to develop. Contributing to that will be one of our priorities in the coming years.
EF: Is there any final message you would like to add?
AO: Countries like Mexico and many others in Latin America share a similar landscape where we all need to contribute. Local companies should be engines of economic growth, prosperity, and innovation. That requires passion, studying, dreaming, collaborating, debating, and working hard. This is what will allow our societies to move forward.
Today, we see a generation of Mexican companies with a powerful mindset, strong education, innovation capacity, entrepreneurial spirit, and the drive to keep advancing.
