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Conversation highlights:
Latin America is the fastest-growing pharmaceutical market globally, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 22% through 2027 — well above the 7.8% global average.
BMS has established a strong and growing presence in Latin America, with consistent year-over-year performance, operating more than 100 clinical trials across 1,000 sites with 3,800 patients enrolled.
Innovative medicines take an average of 5.7 years to reach Latin American patients after approval in the US or Europe — a critical access gap that BMS is actively working to close.
Mexico is a strategic hub for BMS: more than 60 clinical research protocols, 1,200 patients enrolled across 120 sites, and 80 years of presence in the country.
Generative AI has reduced molecular design timelines from weeks to hours, and is being applied in diagnostics — including skin cancer detection in rural areas — to extend access beyond central cities.
Increasing Mexico’s healthcare investment as a percentage of GDP — currently one of the lowest in the region — is essential to making healthcare system integration a reality for patients.
EF: Looking at the past decade in Latin America, what would you distinguish as the main achievement BMS has made in the region, and what remains on your bucket list for 2030?
MCL: Looking back at the last decade, we have remained aligned with our vision to transform patients’ lives through science, with a strong focus on turning innovation into real-world impact. BMS has established a strong and growing presence in Latin America, with consistent year-over-year performance, which reflects our progress in bringing innovation to patients across Latin America.
Looking toward the future, Latin America is a region of great opportunity and complexity. My role is to ensure that our scientific advances translate into faster and more equitable access for patients, while strengthening the local healthcare ecosystem. If I had to focus on one priority for 2030, it is continuing to increase access to innovation in the region and working with governments to reframe healthcare investment as a driver of economic growth — not just a cost.
We operate in an environment marked by economic volatility, political complexity, and significant healthcare gaps. Beyond developing breakthrough therapies in oncology, hematology, immunology, cardiovascular disease, and neuroscience, we focus on three strategic priorities: accelerating the availability of our therapies within healthcare systems; fostering agility and collaboration with local stakeholders to expand equitable access; and positioning BMS as a regional hub for early-phase clinical research.
EF: With only 12% of patients accessing high-complexity oncology treatments in Latin America, how are you managing access challenges, particularly with Mexico's expansion of universal healthcare?
MCL: Despite current political and economic challenges, Latin America remains the fastest-growing pharmaceutical market globally. Data from IQVIA projects a compound annual growth rate of 22% through 2027 — well above the estimated 7.8% global average.
Across our key therapeutic areas — oncology, hematology, cardiovascular disease, immunology, and neuroscience — we are expanding access through more than 100 clinical trials operating across 1,000 sites with 3,800 patients enrolled in the region. As part of our global pipeline of 50 molecules in development across more than 40 disease areas, we are expecting to bring eight new medicines and 16 new indications to Latin American patients by 2030, targeting conditions such as lupus, Alzheimer’s disease, heart failure, pulmonary fibrosis, and various types of cancer.
At BMS, we operate under the premise that all innovative efforts are meaningless if treatments do not reach patients. As chair of FIFARMA — the regional pharmaceutical industry federation — we have recently presented a study showing that in Latin America, an innovative medicine takes an average of 5.7 years to reach patients after approval in the US or Europe. That gap is what drives our access strategy.
We address it through three concrete actions: regulatory agility, working with authorities to promote reliance mechanisms and align local regulation with international standards; clinical research as a driver of innovation, increasing the representation of our patient populations in global trials; and innovative access models, engaging decision-makers through risk-sharing and outcome-based schemes that allow healthcare institutions to adopt innovative therapies while preserving system sustainability.
EF: What makes Mexico particularly strategic for BMS, and how do you view the country's role in your Latin American operations?
MCL: BMS Mexico is one of our most strategically relevant markets in Latin America, given its scale, scientific capabilities, and geographic position connecting Latin America to the US market. This year, we celebrate our 80th anniversary in Mexico, a milestone that reflects the depth of our long-term commitment to the country.
Mexico has evolved into a key contributor to our global research and development strategy. Its diverse population, strong clinical research infrastructure, and highly qualified investigators enable us to generate high-quality, locally relevant evidence. We currently have more than 60 clinical research protocols across all our therapeutic areas, with 1,200 patients enrolled across 120 public and private research sites. We are also one of the few companies conducting clinical trials within IMSS (the Mexican Social Security Institute) facilities for over a decade, something we are particularly proud of.
Mexico represents both a high-potential market and a platform for long-term scientific and health system impact. On healthcare system integration, the entire pharma and healthcare sector sees this as a significant opportunity for patients. A critical factor will be increasing healthcare investment: Mexico’s healthcare spending as a percentage of GDP is among the lowest in the region, and closing that gap is essential to making integration meaningful for patients.
EF: As BMS moves into increasingly complex therapeutic areas and personalized medicines, what skills do people need to navigate these challenges and accomplish your access mission?
MCL: The world is getting more complex, and the ability to thrive in change — to be flexible and resilient — is the foundational quality every leader needs. Beyond that, the area we are investing in most heavily, both globally and across Latin America, is AI capability.
AI and digitalization are transforming the pharmaceutical research and development process end-to-end, from early research and clinical operations to how we engage with healthcare professionals. We are developing this capability within our organization and applying it in ways that directly change how we work with our key stakeholders.
We are convinced that technology must serve as a bridge toward health equity. In drug development, generative AI has reduced molecular design timelines from weeks to hours, enabling faster exploration of thousands of compounds. In clinical trials, AI is helping optimize patient recruitment and predict therapeutic responses. In diagnostics, we are using AI to analyze images of skin lesions and help primary care physicians identify potential melanoma cases in rural areas — bringing specialist-level diagnostic support to populations far from central cities, which is one of the core access challenges we face across Latin America.
We also apply AI in digital platforms for physicians and patients. One platform uses digital technology to train physicians in the use of innovative therapies; in the last year alone, it reached more than 5,000 healthcare professionals. Patient education programs leverage big data to personalize information and improve treatment adherence.
EF: As we conclude, what final message do you have for our global readership about Latin America's potential and BMS's commitment to the region?
MCL: Latin America has the potential to be a powerful engine of innovation, growth, and health impact. Realizing that potential requires sustained investment, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that innovation reaches patients faster and more equitably.
At BMS, we are proud to be a long-term partner in building more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable healthcare systems across the region. That commitment is visible across all our markets; in the clinical trials we run, the access models we build, and the partnerships we maintain with governments, institutions, and patient communities. Because innovation only matters when it improves people’s lives.
