Read the Conversation
Meeting highlights:
- Solventum's First Year: A Shift Toward Innovation: Following its spin-off, Solventum Mexico is transforming its approach, moving away from an industrial mindset to focus on innovation, prevention, and patient-centric care. The company aims to deliver smarter healthcare solutions by investing in research and advancing medical technologies.
- Addressing Mexico's Diabetes & Wound Care Crisis: With 21,000 diabetes-related amputations annually, Solventum is leading efforts in wound care innovation and infection prevention. The company is committed to cost-effective, preventive solutions that improve patient outcomes and reduce the long-term burden on the healthcare system.
- Expanding Public Health & Accessibility: Solventum is developing public health proposals prioritizing cost-effectiveness and preventive care. Recognizing that close to 20% of Mexico's population lives in remote areas with limited healthcare access, the company is actively working to bridge these gaps through innovative solutions.
- AI & Technology: Transforming Healthcare Innovation: AI and data-driven technologies enhance innovation across the healthcare ecosystem, from drug development to HCP education. By leveraging data, Solventum is bringing industry stakeholders closer together, enabling smarter, faster, and more collaborative advancements in patient care.
- Accelerating Regulatory Approvals & Industry Collaboration: Solventum actively engages in policy discussions to streamline regulatory approvals and improve market access. The company collaborates with industry leaders and participates in development programs to enhance healthcare delivery across Mexico.
- Economic Growth & Investment in Healthcare Innovation: As Mexico, with its 129 million people, aims to become the world's 12th largest economy, the growing middle class is driving demand for better healthcare and private insurance. Nearshoring is fueling economic growth, and Solventum is leveraging academic partnerships and industry investment funds to drive cutting-edge healthcare innovations.
EF: After the spin-off, what were the biggest challenges and significant milestones achieved by Solventum?
AM: Our first year as an independent company has been both challenging and transformative.
We began by reshaping our organizational culture, shifting from an industrial mindset to one that reflects our identity as a medical device company committed to advancing healthcare in Mexico and globally.
We have reached significant milestones throughout this journey by staying true to our core values and mission: Delivering better, smarter, and safer healthcare to improve lives. Our goal is to become a top-quartile player in the medical device sector.
We are moving in the right direction thanks to the new organizational structure, our strategic changes, and our continued investments. Still, as we grow our presence in Mexico and international markets, we recognize that new challenges lie ahead.
EF: What are Solventum's priorities in terms of its portfolio? How do you want to impact Mexico's public and private markets?
AM: One of our primary goals is to be recognized as a leader in wound care. We have already earned recognition in infection control, thanks to our 70-year legacy and the backing of 3M. Now, we are expanding our focus to preventing wound complications—specifically through negative pressure systems. To support this, we are making significant investments in developing the market for advanced wound treatments; and speaking about expertise, clinical support and recognition, this 2025, our 3M™ V.A.C.® Therapy is celebrating its first 30 years since it was officially recognized by the FDA as the first Negativity Wound Care Technology, leading a new era for advanced wound care; this represents more than 10 million wounds healed around the world, changing patients life.
In Mexico, where diabetes rates are among the highest, proper wound care has become essential for national health. Each year, nearly 21,000 amputations occur due to untreated wounds, deeply impacting families, communities, and the healthcare system. When someone becomes physically disabled, the burden often falls on their household—and our country is not fully equipped to manage this.
Solventum is committed to preventing these outcomes through advanced wound prevention and care, helping ensure healthcare's long-term sustainability. Today, we hold 87% of clinical evidence published referring to 3M™ V.A.C.® Therapy, recognizing us as the most studied and referenced brand in Negative Pressure Wound Therapy.
EF: How can Solventum help create more sustainable systems through prevention and patient care programs, impacting not only with products but also fostering a different mindset in Mexican society?
AM: We are developing public health proposals to present to key government stakeholders, advocating for both public and private insurance coverage. Our proposals are cost-effective and value-driven, highlighting that preventive care is ten times less expensive than restorative-invasive care. This is backed by international evidence showing negative pressure therapies' effectiveness in treating acute and chronic wounds.
With the strength of our 3M legacy, we believe this makes for a compelling case. We hope to be recognized by the government as a strategic partner that can help reduce healthcare costs while improving key surgical and prescription-related outcomes.
Our goal is to shift the focus toward prevention, using specialized devices and minimally invasive pressure techniques instead of relying on pharmaceuticals or invasive surgeries. This approach opens new opportunities for Solventum to grow while meaningfully contributing to the country's healthcare system.
EF: Digitalization is transforming healthcare through tools like AI. How is Solventum introducing these innovations in Mexico, improving operations, and strengthening relationships with patients and medical professionals?
AM: Artificial intelligence represents the fourth industrial revolution, and as a company focused on medical device innovation, we are committed to embracing it to improve healthcare access. AI allows us to better understand the cost trajectories of diagnosing specific diseases over time. From birth, a patient's progress can be evaluated based on family history, enabling us to proactively implement preventive measures instead of relying solely on restorative care.
Even when a patient reaches the restorative phase, AI helps us accelerate R&D. Through data management and meta-analysis, we can make faster breakthroughs, allowing more patients to access timely solutions for likely medical conditions. For this to work effectively, healthcare professionals need proper training in AI to deepen their understanding of health issues and enhance patient care. However, the rapid pace of scientific and technological innovation means that many providers struggle to keep up. We must collaborate with academic institutions to deliver comprehensive education programs, ensuring professionals can fully leverage current and future technologies.
We are especially excited about expanding healthcare access, not just for urban populations but also for remote and rural communities that still lack essential services. Roughly 20% of Mexico's population lives in rural or indigenous areas, where language, habits, diet, and health conditions differ significantly. AI is key to streamlining our research and reaching these populations more efficiently. Paired with telemedicine, it represents a major leap forward in healthcare. This technology will help manage budgets and costs more effectively while empowering providers to tailor public health strategies based on real population needs.
Looking ahead, I am particularly energized by the potential for innovation—even for products that do not yet exist. Integrating pharmaceuticals, molecules, or medical devices with AI opens up a new frontier. Every company in the healthcare sector stands to benefit from this technological evolution.
EF: Why is Mexico an attractive location for health investments?
AM: Mexico is strategically positioned in a geopolitically significant region. With access to major economies like the United States and established trade agreements with Europe, Japan, and China, the country also serves as a vital gateway to Latin America. In response to our needs, the current government has opened dialogue platforms that have not existed for years. As industrialists, we actively engage in the national health research and development program, focusing on three core priorities.
First, regulatory access. We aim to facilitate innovation by building reliability and trust, paving the way for digital processes that can accelerate regulatory timelines. This is a critical step in elevating Mexico's profile on the global stage.
Second, market potential. Mexico has a population of 129 million, which represents a sizable and growing market. Our ambition is to become the 12th-largest economy in the world. As more companies expand operations here through nearshoring, job opportunities and access to insurance coverage will increase. At the same time, progress in streamlining procurement processes will make our market even more attractive to global players.
Third, research and development. Mexico is home to strong academic institutions, such as UNAM and the Polytechnic University, and benefits from investment funds across various industries. This ecosystem enables us to conduct impactful research that serves both domestic and global populations. Our country's diverse climates also allow us to develop and test various medical scenarios, facilitating the international transfer of knowledge and innovation.
Mexico is in a privileged position—strategically located and supported by transparent, collaborative partnerships across government, the private sector, and academia. We are committed to continuing these dialogues, sharing our priorities, and shaping a vision for the medical device industry that can significantly contribute to the country's economy over the next ten to fifteen years.
EF: What are your goals for the next five or ten years, and how can Mexico's local talent contribute to achieving these objectives?
AM: Solventum's primary strategic objective is to rank among the top quartile of medical device companies globally—a goal we intend to achieve through both organic and inorganic growth. We are also prioritizing our key portfolios: Vascular Access Tegaderm Family, Sterilization Assurance, Patient Care Surgical Solution, and our most recent innovative VAC therapy. These areas are central to driving transformation and improving quality of life by delivering smarter healthcare solutions across Mexico and the other markets we serve.
Over the next ten years, our strategy is anchored around three key ambitions: First, we are focused on strengthening our internal structure to establish world-class commercial, research, and manufacturing capabilities tailored to the specific needs of our markets.
In addition, we will continue making strategic investments in our manufacturing network. Monterrey, for instance, is rapidly becoming a major production hub. Its growth will be essential not only for supplying Mexico and Latin America but also for supporting the North American market. Developing regional independence is a strategic priority, enabling us to share resources across geographies and avoid the kinds of supply disruptions experienced during the pandemic. In this context, building self-sufficiency is not just a business advantage but a national imperative.
Equally important is our commitment to positioning Solventum as a trusted partner within the healthcare sector. We aim to support the medical community through development programs that bridge the gap between innovation and professional practice. As the pace of innovation accelerates, our role is to provide technical training and invest in education to ensure that professionals are equipped to apply new technologies effectively. Advancing skill sets and fostering a deeper understanding of emerging tools will be essential to maximizing impact.
Across all of these efforts, we remain focused on execution and sustaining our progress, ensuring Solventum continues to lead with purpose and impact.
EF: What message would you give future generations about the importance of working in healthcare and why Solventum is the ideal platform for this pursuit?
AM: Health is a shared responsibility that begins with each of us. Prioritizing it reflects our commitment to ourselves, and prevention should be the foundation. To fully enjoy life—professionally, socially, financially, or with family—we must actively invest in our well-being rather than waiting for others to provide it.
This mindset must be instilled in younger generations. Health awareness shouldn't fall solely on providers; it’s a collective duty. Lasting change requires collaboration across industry, government, society, and especially academia, where health education should begin early and continue throughout higher education.
With access to AI, we now have powerful tools to better understand health. We must go beyond sources like Google and use technology to educate ourselves and future generations about the importance of preventive medicine. Without prevention, no system can sustain the cost of treating every acute or chronic condition. However, small, positive lifestyle changes can help ensure resources go toward managing inevitable degenerative diseases.
After 32 years in healthcare, I’m focused on using technology to strengthen prevention. Real change demands collective effort. At Solventum, we’re committed to advancing preventive care and improving recovery outcomes. Health is a fundamental right, but one that comes with shared responsibility.
