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Conversation highlights:
Sanofi is celebrating nearly 100 years of presence in Mexico with a 14 billion peso investment commitment from 2025 to 2030 in manufacturing, talent, and science.
Mexico is producing its first 100% domestically made influenza vaccine, with over 40 million doses manufactured for the 2025–26 season.
The company invests more than 850 million pesos annually in clinical trials and R&D in Mexico, ranking the country in the top 15 markets worldwide for patient participation.
Sanofi contributes to at least nine of the 13 pillars of Plan Mexico, particularly in manufacturing sovereignty and strategic healthcare supply chains.
Mexico has the potential to become a leading healthcare force in Latin America through collaboration between industry, government, and healthcare professionals.
Sanofi operates as an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharmaceutical company, using more than 20 AI tools daily across its operations.
EF: What attracted you to this new role, and what personal mission have you set for yourself?
IS: This is a very special moment for Sanofi in Mexico; in 2029 we will celebrate 100 years of presence in the country. That milestone reflects our long-standing commitment to Mexico and creates a significant opportunity to deepen our role as public health partners with the government. Three important factors are converging right now. First, we are aligned with the sovereignty agenda set by the current administration. Second, Sanofi has committed to investing approximately 14 billion pesos between 2025 and 2030 in manufacturing, talent, and science. Third, Sanofi is experiencing a very promising pipeline alongside a significant digital and scientific transformation. All of this comes together at this particular moment, and I want to be part of that story — to support and strengthen the Mexican community's access to better health.
EF: How is Sanofi positioning itself as a strategic partner in Mexico's new integrated healthcare model?
IS: Mexico is a strategic market for Sanofi in every sense. We operate a world-class vaccine antigen manufacturing site here — a capability that very few countries have domestically. Through a joint investment agreement with the government, we are now manufacturing the first 100% Mexico-made influenza vaccine. For the 2025–26 season, that means more than 40 million doses produced entirely in Mexico — a first for the country, and fully aligned with the Plan Mexico agenda.
Sanofi contributes to at least nine of the 13 pillars of Plan Mexico, spanning clinical research investment, manufacturing capacity, health sovereignty, and strategic healthcare supply chains. We invest more than 850 million pesos annually in clinical trials and R&D here, and Mexico ranks in the top 15 markets globally for patient participation in clinical trials. Through that research, we are gaining knowledge about the health of the Mexican population, providing early access to innovative medicines before they are commercially available, strengthening the clinical research network, and building the skills of healthcare professionals across the country. The science we develop here in Mexico serves not just the Mexican community, but Latin America and the world.
EF: What role do you see Mexico playing in Latin America's healthcare landscape over the next five years?
IS: Mexico has the critical mass, the talent, and the research infrastructure to become a leading force in Latin American healthcare. That is not just an aspiration; it can be a reality if the right actors work together: the healthcare industry, government, patients, healthcare professionals, and the scientific community.
From Sanofi's perspective, we have built state-of-the-art manufacturing here and are conducting clinical research from Mexico that has global reach. If there is full alignment with government priorities, we firmly believe Mexico can be at the forefront of the sector across the region. But that requires the government to continue to make healthcare a priority. In practice, that means two things: rapid access to innovation, so Mexican patients can benefit from the therapies they deserve; and equity of access across the country. Mexico's diversity is one of its great strengths, but we must ensure it does not become a barrier — every community deserves full access to healthcare, both in breadth and depth. Achieving that requires a sustained joint effort between industry and government.
EF: How does your background in Iberia inform your approach to leading Sanofi's Latin America operations?
IS: There are many bridges between Iberia and Latin America, and I am genuinely energized by how this talented community cross-fertilizes perspectives, experiences, and capabilities. Sanofi is committed to diversity of origins, and one of my personal priorities is creating an environment where that talent can flourish. I want Mexico and Latin America to become exporters of talent — not only to Iberia and Europe, but globally — while also being a destination for international talent that strengthens our value proposition for patients, healthcare professionals, and government stakeholders.
My experience in Europe has also given me a direct reference point for challenges Mexico will face. The aging population dynamic is already visible here and will accelerate. In Europe, we lived through that transition and transformed our model — from being suppliers of medicines and vaccines to becoming genuine healthcare system partners, working alongside governments, payers, and the scientific community in the interest of patients and system sustainability. Latin America faces significant sustainability challenges in making healthcare access both universal and affordable. Companies have a responsibility to work alongside health authorities to find models that make that possible.
EF: How is Sanofi applying AI and digitalization in Mexico's healthcare landscape?
IS: We are proud to describe ourselves as an R&D-driven, AI-powered biopharmaceutical company. At Sanofi, AI is not a future strategy; it is operational today, embedded across many aspects of how we deliver value to the healthcare system and to patients. In Mexico specifically, we use AI for early patient identification for clinical trials, clinical trial optimization, and improving how we communicate with healthcare professionals.
Mexico's geographic scale presents a real challenge: many areas are simply not reachable through traditional face-to-face engagement. We use AI to deliver scientific information to healthcare professionals across the country through the channels they prefer and on the topics most relevant to their practice. That is a concrete commitment to healthcare equity. We currently use more than 20 AI tools on a daily basis across our operations.
On the digitalization side, we have replaced printed medication instructions in packaging with QR codes, giving patients access to the latest and most up-to-date information anywhere in the country — while significantly reducing paper waste. Small changes like this compound into meaningful improvements in how patients interact with their treatments.
EF: Why should investors focus on healthcare opportunities in Latin America today?
IS: Access to healthcare in Latin America is expanding at a pace that is largely unmatched elsewhere in the world, and several elements are converging to make this a particularly compelling moment — in the region generally, and in Mexico specifically.
There is a strong government commitment to making healthcare a constitutional right, and real movement toward both healthcare and pharmaceutical sovereignty. Mexico also has the talent to make this real: a workforce with life science industry backgrounds, digital capabilities, and international experience, alongside a highly qualified community of healthcare professionals running state-of-the-art clinical trials. And there is genuine patient commitment — a willingness to engage with and participate in pharmaceutical research and development that is a strong asset for the sector.
The combination of public investment, government alignment, joint investment frameworks, workforce talent, healthcare professional expertise, and patient need makes Mexico a compelling investment destination. I foresee a bright future for Mexico's healthcare industry — one where, working alongside government, health authorities, healthcare professionals, and patient communities, the country becomes a leading force in Latin American healthcare.
EF: As Sanofi begins celebrating 100 years in Mexico, what is your message for the next century?
IS: When you reflect on a company that has worked alongside the Mexican community and its patients for nearly 100 years, you understand how central Mexico is to Sanofi's identity. That history makes you aware that we are standing on the shoulders of giants: the people who built Sanofi's presence here before us, the government collaborations over the decades, and the healthcare professionals and patients we have had the privilege of serving. That legacy is not a reason for comfort; it is fuel to look forward.
What lies ahead is the opportunity and the responsibility to ensure that our pipeline of innovation reaches patients in Mexico as quickly and as broadly as possible, in a way that is sustainable through close collaboration with health authorities. Sanofi has a strong footprint across Latin America, with a portfolio that addresses the region's highest unmet medical needs: immunology, oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and vaccines. That portfolio is well matched to Latin American priorities. We are also conducting clinical trials in Argentina and Chile, and we believe Latin America has the capacity to become a genuine generator of science — science that serves the region and the world. If we get this right, the next 100 years will be even more meaningful than the last.
