Read the Conversation
Meeting highlight:
- Roche's Growth and Patient Impact in Mexico: Celebrating 77 years in Mexico, Roche Diagnostics is a market leader with sustained double-digit growth. In 2024, Roche reached 40 million patients and aims to impact 50 million by 2030, reinforcing its commitment to expanding healthcare access.
- Strategic Focus on Access, Clinical Research, Digitalization and Specialization: Roche’s 2025 “Year of Specialization” will accelerate investment in bringing disruptive innovations, addressing Mexico’s key healthcare needs, while also accelerating clinical research in the country. Focus areas include oncology, women’s health, cardiovascular, diabetes, infectious and neurodegenerative diseases, while the company keeps advancing disruptive technologies in the next 3 years such as next-generation sequencing, mass spectrometry analysis, continuous glucose monitoring, new digital platforms and a whole new set of diagnostic tests.
- Mexico as a Key Research and Innovation Platform: Mexico’s supportive framework (e.g., Plan Mexico) make it a strategic R&D and Center of excellence hub. Roche Diagnostics plans to expand its medical education network to 127,000 collaborating healthcare professionals by 2027-2030, ensuring new technologies are correctly applied to improve outcomes.
- Public-Private Partnerships and Tailored Solutions: Strategic alliances with IMSS, Salud Digna, and other institutions are driving success in areas like HPV testing. Roche is advancing centralized and automated workflows for labs of all sizes, alongside customized point-of-care solutions for clinics, hospitals, and pharmacies.
- Digitalization and AI Innovation: Roche excels in genomic data and AI algorithm development, namely for cancer diagnosis. The focus is on clinical decision-making support for healthcare professionals, labs and healthcare system efficiency and improving interoperability to shift towards outcome-based healthcare models, enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of the system.
- Building a Sustainable Healthcare Roadmap: Roche’s strategy for Mexico centers on access, affordability, digitalization, innovation and personalized healthcare with cross-sector collaboration. With Mexico as a global strategic priority, Roche is committed to a holistic healthcare approach that extends beyond borders and amplifies the system's long-term sustainability.
EF: Roche Diagnostics has made major strides in expanding access and investing in innovation in Mexico. What are your current priorities, and how are you positioning the company for the next growth phase?
JC: Roche has been in Mexico for 77 years, and in Roche Diagnostics we are proud to be the market leader across both public and private sectors in nearly every product line. In 2024, we reached 40 million people. This is a significant responsibility which we take very seriously, as we strive to leave a lasting impact on the health of Mexicans and promote sustainability within the healthcare system. Our goal is to continue to increase access to timely and accurate diagnoses and reach 50 million Mexicans by 2030. Without accurate diagnosis, there is no proper healthcare.
As Roche Diagnostics, we’re currently the number one affiliate in LATAM, with strong double-digit growth, and among Roche’s global top 10, bringing strong responsibility and increased capability to deliver innovation to patients in Mexico. Our focus remains on expanding access and accelerating the adoption of diagnostic innovation across the country. We’re also deepening our investment in clinical research in Mexico as Roche —last year, our both divisions, pharma and diagnostics invested 500 million pesos and aim to reach four billion pesos by 2030. And globally, last year, we reinvested over 21% of our sales in research and development.
2025 is all about specialization—deepening our innovation and reinforcing our commitment to clinical research in the country. Our contribution to Mexico goes beyond making diagnostics and medicines available—we’re committed to establishing the country as a key hub for clinical research and center of excellence within Roche’s global network. This reflects both our history and our future direction.
We are focused on advancing specialized diagnostics—not just core lab solutions but also digital tools and key areas such as pathology, coagulation, blood screening, molecular diagnostics, and next-generation sequencing. We're launching essential innovations, including mass spectrometry, diabetes continuous glucose monitoring tools, and near-patient care solutions. We are accelerating our efforts and bringing cutting-edge technology to Mexico—a responsibility we take seriously as one of the industry’s top R&D investors. Last year alone, we globally launched 21 new tests, seven digital solutions, and five new platforms. Our goal is to ensure these innovations are accessible to patients in Mexico.
EF: What are the key arguments for bringing more investment to Mexico? What makes Mexico such an important platform for clinical research?
JC: There’s global competition regarding clinical research and where trials are conducted. The same for centers of excellence as the one we have in Mexico for technical service covering all Spanish-speaking Latin America. Regulation certainly plays a role. We maintain an open channel with Cofepris and the Economy and Health Ministry, and we agree that Mexico has the potential to become a scientific power and center of excellence. We work together to make that a reality.
Access to real-world data is crucial. Research conducted only in certain countries or with specific genotypes can lead to bias. That’s why Mexico needs to be part of the broader research landscape. We want Mexico to lead in partnerships with universities, healthcare providers, and the government so it becomes a key hub for Roche’s clinical research and center of excellence. This aligns closely with Plan Mexico, which emphasizes the country's development. We want to continue being an ally of that development, generating real value through highly trained, specialized talent that strengthens the national economy.
However, innovation alone is not enough; healthcare professionals must be trained to use new solutions effectively. That is why we are significantly increasing our investment in education. In diagnostics alone, we currently reach around 30,000 clinicians from various specialties annually. We aim to reach 170,000 by 2027-2030—a bold and ambitious target we’re committed to achieving.
EF: How are you tackling the challenge of access?
JC: We believe strongly in the power of public and private partnerships. Take cervical cancer, for example. HPV screening saves lives. In Mexico, a woman dies from cervical cancer every two hours, despite it being 99% preventable and treatable when detected early.
We’ve partnered with IMSS and INDEX, an association of exporting manufacturers in Ciudad Juárez, to introduce a self-sampling program for women working in the plants. The pilot showed promising results, and a scientific publication is coming.
On the private side, we’ve collaborated with Salud Digna to offer HPV testing, reaching over 600,000 women. These efforts are saving lives—and that is just one example of the many partnerships we have built to ensure access to innovation. We also offer consulting services to help our customers identify the most suitable solutions for their needs. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
Other components to drive real impact are decentralization and automation. We offer modular, scalable platforms and are working to make automation accessible from large to small-midsized labs across both the public and private sectors. For example, with IMSS-Bienestar we enable decentralized testing with the same efficiency that was once limited to centralized labs.
Another component is point-of-care solutions. These allow compact setups that fit into a doctor’s office, clinic, or pharmacy. We’re also advancing in this space, having recently acquired LumiraDX(a portable, multimodal system designed to make testing easy, efficient and more accessible) which we’re launching in Mexico.
Digitalization and AI are also critical. We’ve developed tools that support clinical decision-making, enabling doctors to diagnose more quickly and confidently. Other solutions help optimize lab operations and workforce efficiency, significantly reducing turnaround times. Digital innovation is a key enabler in expanding access and improving care.
EF: How do you picture the future of a data-driven healthcare system? What do you see as the pillars that will sustain it?
JC: We see two key pillars. The first is empowering healthcare professionals to interpret diagnostic and genomic data for faster results and greater clinical confidence, especially in fields like oncology. For example, we already have AI algorithms for diagnostics for breast and lung cancer in Mexico.
The second is workflow optimization—whether in labs or hospitals. Our digital solutions reduce turnaround times, improve sample traceability, minimize errors, and maximize capacity. These systems also generate vast amounts of data, which highlights the crucial need for interoperability.
To avoid siloed solutions, we developed the Navify integrator, which connects our systems with those of third parties. Accessibility is essential, and all this data lies at the foundation for value-based healthcare.
People have talked about value-based care for years, but to truly implement it, you need data to measure outcomes. Without measurable outcomes, value-based healthcare and outcome-based payments remain just buzzwords. The data infrastructure we’re building will make these new, more impactful healthcare models possible.
EF: What makes Roche a great company, and what skills will you need to attract and stay a leader in innovation and access in the region?
JC: I’ve been at Roche for over 10 years, and what stands out to me is our strong sense of purpose and values. There is a deep focus on the patient—something many healthcare companies claim, but we truly live it. Our values of courage, passion, and integrity resonate deeply with those of us in this field.
Innovation is in our DNA. We constantly balance the need to deliver short-term impact by increasing patient access—not just in numbers, but in the quality of innovation—while also investing in R&D for future breakthroughs. That dual focus on both immediate and long-term outcomes is something we embody at every level—from the global headquarters to the country affiliate and personally as a leader.
Talent is essential because people are the ones who ultimately make a difference in patients' lives. We need individuals who not only live our purpose but also actively build their skills and careers. At Roche, our ambition is grounded in four pillars: leadership, growth mindset, patient impact, and innovation.
We have invested significantly in talent development, including a robust internship program in Mexico. We believe in dual education—where students combine university study with hands-on experience at Roche. It gives them real insight into the industry and helps them decide if this is the path they want to pursue. It’s a program we deeply cherish.
EF: As a healthcare leader, what are the key priorities and milestones to reach a sustainable healthcare system in Mexico by 2030?
JC: Our ambition is what we refer to as a triple win. Success for us stems from three areas: delivering value to patients and society, investing in the growth of our people, and running a sustainable business. All three must work together. Only by aligning all of them can we maximize our impact.
We have set clear goals, such as reaching 50 million patients in Mexico by 2030 and staying in the first wave of innovation adoption worldwide.
As for the roadmap, I would simplify it into five main focus areas.
- Expand access through affordable, efficient care—enabled by decentralization, automation and digitalization.
- Drive system-level impact with a patient-focused approach targeting key areas like oncology, cardiometabolic, infectious, women’s, and neurodegenerative health—anchored in partnerships.
- Advance innovation in Mexico through local R&D, medical education, and upcoming launches in next-gen sequencing, mass spectrometry, continuous glucose monitoring and point-of-care solutions.
- Leverage digital tools and AI to boost outcomes and lab performance.
- Foster cross-sector collaboration—because no one transforms healthcare alone. This final point is just as important as the others. Shaping the future is not only about preparing for it but also co-creating it. For us, Mexico is not just a market; it is a strategic priority.
EF: If you could issue one challenge to your peers in the healthcare sector to drive greater collaboration and impact, what would it be?
We need a constructive agenda. We all face obstacles related to patient innovation adoption, delays in regulatory approvals, illegal markets, public procurement processes that can be improved, insufficient funding and clinical research—issues common across many countries. The key is identifying root causes and, most importantly, focusing on solutions. A solution-oriented and collaborative approach is essential. This involves creating partnerships, whether bilateral or through active participation in trade associations, which play a key role in improving the healthcare system holistically.
Collaboration across countries is also essential, and as companies, we can facilitate that. For example, we are building a digital pathology network in LATAM where pathologists can collaborate and share second opinions sustainably. It is more than just a call from someone you met at a conference. This year, we just hosted in Mexico a conference on Digital Solutions for Latin America partners and we are hosting the third Latin American Cervical Cancer Forum in Mexico in the second half of the year, bringing together experts to discuss ways to improve prevention and detection. This demonstrates the importance of cross-border collaboration, and we at Roche will continue to foster it.
EF: Do you have a final message for our readers?
JC: Most healthcare systems are primarily disease-focused, with a primary emphasis on treatment. That is understandable—when you are sick, you need care. But it’s far better not to get sick in the first place. Prevention and early detection are crucial because they lead to higher cure rates, reduced suffering, and lower healthcare costs.
I refer to diagnostics as the silent hero of healthcare. It receives less than 2% of healthcare investment—prevention isn’t much higher at around 1% to 3%—yet diagnostics influence over 70% of clinical decisions. This holds across nearly every country. Therefore, at Roche Mexico, we are fully aligned with the political push toward prevention, early diagnosis, and strengthening primary care, while complementing it with personalized healthcare as that is the right path forward.
