AmCham-IMSS deal pledges US $44 million to bring clinical trials to Mexican public hospitals

The Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico (AmCham) have signed an agreement to increase sponsored clinical research in public hospitals, with a projected investment exceeding 766 million pesos (US $44 million) during the 2026–2030 period. The agreement aims to have more pharmaceutical industry clinical trials conducted within IMSS’s hospital network. The project involves the IMSS Foundation, AmCham, and the pharmaceutical companies Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine, MSD, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Roche, and Sanofi. IMSS Director General Zoé Robledo insists that Mexico’s public hospitals have at least as much to offer as clinical trial hosts as private hospitals, if not more: “No one else possesses what we have at the institution.” (IMSS) “This is a major step for Mexico, the Mexican people, and the implementation of Plan México,” AmCham Director General Pedro Casas wrote in a post on his official X account. IMSS Director General Zoé Robledo highlighted the opportunity to expand the Mexican public sector’s participation in this type of research. “Why should the IMSS lead clinical research in Mexico? Because today, 70% of clinical trials conducted by pharmaceutical companies in our country take place in private centers, even though no one else possesses what we have at the institution,” he said. Robledo noted that this agreement does not entail displacing private hospitals; rather, it seeks to ensure that IMSS competes for projects that are currently channeled to other institutions or countries, “seeking to occupy the place that corresponds to its scale.” Indeed, the strategy seeks to leverage IMSS’s infrastructure and reach, which has more than 1,800 medical and highly specialized care facilities that serve approximately 70 million beneficiaries. It also involves training of 729 IMSS researchers with the aim of strengthening capabilities and increasing the number of studies that can be conducted within the institution. “With this potential investment of 767 million pesos, it is clearly the most ambitious public initiative of its kind,” Robledo said. The strategy’s primary objective will be to translate scientific research findings into everyday patient care, particularly for diseases requiring a high level of medical services. Priorities include high-prevalence or complex conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, kidney disorders, neurological diseases, and rare diseases. In fact, the newspaper Excélsior reported that IMSS is already working on a Phase 3 study for people with Sjögren’s syndrome, and that another Phase 3 trial related to irritable bowel syndrome is planned. Mexico News Daily