In Mexico, prices of medicines and healing materials skyrocket.

Primary health and healing material, with the most significant increase in 20 years: Inegi.

MEXICO CITY (El Universal) – Amid the health emergency caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, Mexican households face a sharp rise in the price of medicines. In particular, curative materials reported the most substantial increase in the last 20 years.

Querétaro was where the first aid kit’s price shot up the most, 50.4% in June compared to the same month last year. It was followed by Tabasco, with 47.9%, and Durango, with 36%, indicates the quotation of the Inegi of healing material, whose list includes alcohol, cotton, syringes, gauze, and nine other products.

Antibiotics also reported significant increases, including Nayarit, the most affected entity, with a rise of 19%, continuing with the State of Mexico, where they rose 17.8%, and Morelos, with 13.5%.

Analgesics rose more in Guanajuato, 15.2%, in second place appears Yucatan, with 14.2%, and third Sinaloa, with 13.5%.

With the country’s largest population, the State of Mexico registered the most pronounced increase in diabetes medications, 20.6%.

In Campeche, anti-inflammatory drugs became more expensive, 14.7%, and in Tabasco, where mainly anti-inflammatory drugs became more expensive, 14%.

In Baja California Sur stands out the 64.2% increase in allergy medicines, almost 13 times above the national average of 5.1%. In Mexico City, moderate increases were registered.

The irruption of the Covid-19 in the whole chain of manufacture and distribution is behind the higher price in medicines, exposed Jesus Granados Campos, president of the sector of manufacturers of medical devices and material of cure of the National Chamber of the Industry of Transformation (Canacintra).

Laboratories depend on raw materials from abroad, mainly from China, where production was slowed down to contain the pandemic, a situation that led to missed deliveries and product shortages.

Besides, many drugs sold today were imported two or three months ago, when the dollar was exchanged for more than 25 pesos.
“The transfer of supplies to the country, logistics, and customs clearance are costs that must be covered in dollars or euros,” explains Granados in an interview with EL UNIVERSAL.

In Mexico, the departure of carriers was restricted due to the health emergency, which increases the shipments of medicines.
Costs also rose due to tolls, transport insurance, and the hiring of private services due to insecurity.

The increase reported by Inegi is small, considering the difficulties in getting medicines to the final consumer, says a member of Canacintra.

From his point of view as a producer, some final sellers were able to speculate and raise the price of medicines in the face of the unusual demand for the pandemic.

In his opinion, the rise is coming to an end, because factories in China have resumed operations, and the shipment of raw materials and product is becoming standardized.

However, after rising, the product tends to fall in price in a period and magnitude that will depend on demand and production, for which the exchange rate of 23 pesos per dollar looks high.