Health · Public Health & Disease · 2 hrs ago
Irregular medicine sales in Mexico may reach 145 million units a year
Mexico’s pharmaceutical industry estimates 145 million medicine units are sold yearly outside authorized channels.
That would be 2.8% of the 5.18 billion medicine units sold each year in the country, though the industry says the irregular market is difficult to measure precisely.
Products sold this way may be expired, stolen or fail health controls, and may not meet standards for quality, safety or effectiveness.
A falsified medicine is not the same as one that was stolen or diverted, but any medicine sold outside established channels can put patients at risk.
The industry representative said sales also appear on e-commerce platforms and WhatsApp, although most people buy medicines at pharmacies.
Patients who take ineffective products may have treatment interrupted, with serious consequences for conditions that require daily medication.
The public was warned to avoid buying medicines outside authorized channels and to be wary of unusually low prices.
Mexico’s irregular medicine market may account for about 145 million units sold outside authorized channels each year, according to Canifarma.
That estimate equals 2.8% of the 5.18 billion medicine units sold annually in Mexico.
Alejandro Córdova of Canifarma said the market’s size and the number of patients affected are difficult to calculate precisely.
He warned that irregular medicines may be expired, stolen, diverted or fail health controls, posing risks to patients.
The problem has also spread to online marketplaces and WhatsApp, he said.
- Who
- The National Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry (Canifarma), represented by Alejandro Córdova.
- What
- The irregular medicine market in Mexico may reach about 145 million units a year.
- When
- The estimate was presented at the Bayer 2026 Seminar. The article was published on October 15, 2026.
- Where
- Mexico; Córdova spoke at a seminar in Jiutepec, Morelos.
- Why
- Medicines sold outside authorized channels may be unsafe or ineffective and can put patients’ health at risk.
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- Estimated irregular sales
- About 145 million medicine units a year
- Share of annual medicine sales
- 2.8% of 5.18 billion units
- Pharmacy purchases
- 92% of people buy medicines and supplements in pharmacies
- Online sales
- 1.6% of medicine sales
- Tianguis sales
- 0.02% of medicine sales
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What people are saying
The irregular medicine market is a worrying and complicated issue for the pharmaceutical industry because of its health risks.
The irregular market should not necessarily be treated the same way in every sector, because buying fake sneakers or a watch is not the same as buying a medicine or medical device.
Patients do not have in mind that medicine they might buy on the street, outside a hospital or in an unestablished place is necessarily counterfeit; they think it is stolen, and that evidently has consequences.