Elvatron, Seven Pharma, J.I. Cohen, Aceti-Oxigen and Baxter are some of the companies that won contracts to provide medicines and pharmaceutical products to public health institutions in the region last year.
An analysis by the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData provides interesting data on the companies that were favored with contracts to provide pharmaceutical products and medical supplies to the several Ministries of Health and Social Security entities in Central American countries in 2019.
During the first semester of 2019, companies from Central American countries bought $20 million in vaccines for animal use abroad, and 55% was imported by companies in Guatemala and Costa Rica.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
The Dominican Republic's Essential Medicines Program is inviting tenders for the supply of medicines and expendable materials, for the period from June 2020 to May 2021.
From January to October 2019, purchases of pharmaceutical products made by Central American countries from companies in Mexico totaled $232 million, and 63% was purchased by companies in Panama and Costa Rica.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with graphics"]
Bayer announced that it plans to expand the operation of its medical device plant and shared service center in Costa Rica in the coming years.
The increase in its presence in Costa Rica is part of the plan to adjust the operation in Central America, the Caribbean and the Andean countries, which the company will implement over the next two years.
Since Farmacias Sucre acquired most of the shares of Farmacias Santa Lucía in Costa Rica, sales of the latter have increased by 70%, mainly because of investments made in inventory.
In the first half of 2019, purchases of vaccines for human use in Central America totaled $122 million, 116% more than was reported in the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
In the first six months of the year, imports of pharmaceutical products in Central America totaled $1.717 million, 8% more than in the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit of CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Click to interact with the graphic"]
In Costa Rica, the Hospital San Juan de Dios tenders the supply of several reagents to determine antibodies Anti HLA, under the modality of delivery according to demand.
The Essential Medicines Program of the Dominican Republic tenders the supply of medicines, aimed at national producers for the period from April 2020 to March 2021.
The Ministry of Health decided to withdraw all registered drugs containing oral ranitidine from the market, arguing that long-term exposure of people to this substance may increase the risk of cancer.
With the available data there is no evidence that the presence of this substance could have caused harm to patients who have consumed the drug, however, the potential risk arising from the cumulative effect, makes it necessary for health regulatory authorities to take different precautionary measures to avoid their presence in medicines, informed local authorities.
In the first quarter of 2019, purchases of vaccines for human use in Central America totaled $66 million, 347% more than was reported in the same period in 2018.
Figures from the Trade Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAPHIC caption="Click to interact with graphic"]
In the third debate, the Assembly approved a bill establishing that the government may make exceptions to the sanitary registration of pharmaceutical products in situations of critical shortage.
At the same time, it empowers the Ministry of Health to purchase medicines under the criteria established by the World Health Organization (WHO), which will allow that when local agents do not participate in the sale, it will be possible to go through international agents, informed the National Assembly on October 3.
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