Research and development in pharmaceuticals: Mexico

The article analyses the activities of the pharmaceutical industry in Mexico. From information available, there appear to be close links between the imports of foreign technology, the restrictive uses of industrial property and the weakness of local R and D. The spending on local R and D by US-owned drug companies was negligible compared to their expenditure on technology imports and advertising. It is suggested that the prerequisite for a strong indigenous pharmaceutical industry is the development of local technological capability. The article concludes by putting forward policy-oriented proposals aimed at creating local R and D capability.