Read the Conversation
Conversation highlights:
- Proquimica is a 5PL solution integrator, managing the full cycle for labs so medicines reach patients in both public and private sectors.
- The company combines strong government presence with a growing private footprint, prioritizing quality and speed and aiming for a balanced market mix.
- It bets on young, trainable talent with regulatory know-how, data skills, and comfort working with technology and KPIs in a fast-paced environment.
- Proquimica builds on logistics excellence, cash-flow discipline, and continuous innovation to help bring new healthcare technologies reliably to patients.
EF: Looking back at the last ten years in Mexico’s life sciences and healthcare landscape, what would you say are the biggest achievements?
OG: One of the key successes of this administration has been the integration of the public health system. IMSS and IMSS Bienestar, which oversees service delivery across the three levels of care. This has been one of the government’s strongest decisions.
A second major step has been opening up to the world through the new equivalence mechanism, which allows the importation of medicines approved by recognized regulatory authorities. For example, if a product is FDA-approved, that approval can be used for sanitary registration and importation so patients can access the treatment. Mexico has both national and international laboratories, but if a medicine is not available locally, this mechanism allows us to identify a manufacturer in the US or Europe and bring the product in. This translates into greater access to high-quality, affordable medicines for patients in Mexico. In that sense, the country is becoming more global while maintaining standards of quality, safety, and efficacy. This means access to affordable, high-quality medicines for patients in Mexico.
I would also mention a third decision: the appointment of Eduardo Clark as subsecretary, reporting directly to the Secretary of Health. He is coordinating the entire industry interface, including patients, medicines, and laboratories, which provides additional support and helps consolidate the sector. In practice, this means more pathways to deliver quality medicines. If local companies do not have the API or finished product, and international companies don’t have it either, the system now allows us to go global under defined requirements.
A fourth and very important point is Plan México, which our group supports. Companies such as Laboratorios Kener and Grupo Vazol are investing significantly to produce high-quality medicines for both the private and public sectors. This initiative is designed to create jobs, attract investment, and strengthen the entire healthcare ecosystem.
EF: If you had to define one task or one problem that we as a sector should focus on tackling in the future, which one would it be?
OG: There are new technologies that are already saving many lives. One example is Mia by Xytotest, a Mel-Mont Medical´s Patented Device that can prevent cervical cancer by HPV Testing. For innovations like this, we need a global fast track to reach patients. Even when a technology is validated, supported by solid clinical data, and approved by authorities such as the FDA, there is still no clear or rapid pathway to bring it to market. My main recommendation would be to create that fast track, so we can deliver these solutions faster and keep saving people from cancer and other serious conditions.
EF: What opportunity did you see when you found Proquimica? What advice would you give new entrepreneurs?
OG: I started out in logistics, first in warehousing and transport as a 2PL, and then moved into distribution. I was lucky to find a great product, vaccines, and began managing their logistics and distribution. From there, I kept adapting the company’s strategy to the market. My main advice to entrepreneurs is simple: strategy finds you working. When you are active and close to the market, you see opportunities and notice when things are changing.
With the recent transformation of the health sector, this government started operating differently from the previous one. We saw those changes and asked how we could respond with our strengths in logistics, transportation, tenders, and operations. At the same time, we saw that laboratories are excellent at creating technologies and medicines, but they need partners to move those products quickly and safely to patients. That is why we created Proquimica 5PL. We handle the full cycle: importation, permits, COFEPRIS requirements, tenders, delivery, and collections. We bring everything together in one solution for laboratories and patients.
To do this well, a CEO has to work both inside and outside the company: in the office, reviewing KPIs and supporting the team, and in the market, staying close to clients and reality. That is how Proquimica built a solution for local and international laboratories that see Mexico as a strong opportunity.
EF: What is Proquimica’s role in the market?
OG: Today, Proquimica’s role in the market is to make sure the solutions we design actually reach patients, whether in the private or public sector. On the government side, this means running the operational backbone of contracts – from business analysis and importation to COFEPRIS compliance and follow-up. Our responsibility is clear: if we fail, patients do not get their medicines, so we align all our resources around that goal.
EF: If we think about the iron triangle – speed, quality, and price – and you had to choose two variables, which ones would you prioritize to address market needs?
OG: I would prioritize quality and speed. Pricing is also important, of course, because budgets, volumes, and decisions in both the public and private sectors depend on it. In the end, patients benefit when there are many competitors willing to invest in new technologies. Every market, and every pharmaceutical company, has to put a price on innovation; that is how new technologies are developed, more treatment options are created, and precision medicine advances. It is part of keeping the economy moving in a healthy way. But ultimately, even if you have the best technology, if you do not know how to bring it to the patient, it is not worth it; you will not save lives.
EF: How much of your resource allocation today goes to the private sector versus the public sector, and what is your growth objective looking ahead?
OG: Right now, we are roughly 70 percent government and 30 percent private. Ideally, I would like to move to a 50-50 balance market share. That way, we can generate the necessary volume while also introducing new treatments into the private market.
EF: What kind of people do you look for at Proquimica as you think about the company’s future? What skills will be most important?
OG: First of all, because we are a pharmaceutical distribution company, people need a solid understanding of the regulatory framework, especially NOM 059-SSA and the Health Law. They have to know how we operate within these rules. We hire many young people because we believe in developing talent and growing together as a company. When people grow inside a growing company, they stay motivated and find a better balance between work, family, and life.
They also need to be comfortable working with a lot of data. Distribution is fast-paced, so we need speed with accuracy. We are developing new technologies, including AI, to optimize routes and improve our KPIs. KPIs matter because they give clarity on where to act and where to focus attention, and they encourage people to propose new ideas to improve performance. That is how we think about skills and people in the company.
EF: What is your favourite KPI to track?
OG: Sales. Bottom line. For us, the key metric is a 99 percent fulfilment rate. Why not one hundred? Because something always happens along the way. Not even the biggest companies achieve perfection. But aiming for 99 percent sets the challenge and the standard of what we want to achieve.
Logistics is the backbone of our operations. It starts with strong inventory control in the warehouse, where technology and physical product management come together. You need full control of operations and strong connections with clients and contracts. Like a building, all foundations must work together: inventory, logistics, technology and AI, control systems, people, values, and principles. Logistics ties it all together.
For entrepreneurs, I would add one more critical point: cash flow. You can develop great technology, but if you do not manage cash flow, security, and information properly, you create new problems. If a client calls asking, “Did you deliver this?” and you cannot answer, that is a serious issue. If you do not take care of financial information and the operational structure you need, you put the company at risk. Cash flow and operations are core foundations you must protect from the very beginning.
EF: Do you have a final message?
OG: Keep investing. All pharmaceutical and healthcare companies need to keep investing in development. That is the nature of this industry. You cannot say, “We have a new generic, a new drug, or a new device,” and then stand still. You have to keep reinventing yourself, creating, and developing new technologies, with strong partners to make this a success for patients and for the market.
