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Conversation highlights:
- Roche Diagnostics Mexico is shifting the system from late-stage treatment to prevention and early diagnosis, but major disease burdens like cancer and diabetes remain urgent challenges.
- Roche Diagnostics Mexico is emphasizing diagnostics that make prevention and follow-up workable beyond major urban centers. Decentralized testing, interoperable data flows, and end-to-end pathways from screening to monitoring.
- 2026 is positioned as a “year of innovation”, with disruptive launches in decentralized diagnostics (LumiraDx), continuous glucose monitoring, sequencing, automated mass spectrometry, and many new tests, such as for Alzheimer’s.
- The company is moving beyond access volume toward “the right test at the right time”, integrating diagnostics, digital tools, AI, and clinical decision-making across public and private sectors.
- Roche aims to reach 50 million patients before 2030, growing double-digit annually while strengthening partnerships, medical education, and operational excellence.
- Long-term priorities focus on four pillars: access, innovation (including wave-one launches and local R&D), operational excellence, and talent development, all tied to healthcare sustainability amid demographic and chronic disease pressures.
EF: Roche Diagnostics is central to Roche's broader strategy. How does Roche Diagnostics Mexico fit into this vision, and what can we expect in 2026?
JC: Looking back at where we were four years ago when I joined and where we are now, what I am most proud of is the evolution that we as a company and as a country have achieved over time.
From a focus on treating diseases too often at a relatively late stage, with a complex prognosis, to an increasingly prevention-focused and early diagnostics approach. It is still a journey, but I am proud that we have contributed to that evolution. I am encouraged about seeing more public health policy focus on prevention and early diagnosis as core components.
Since our last conversation in mid-2025, that shift has become more explicit in public policy. The federal government published the 2025–2030 Health Sector Program in the Official Gazette (DOF), with a stronger focus on diagnosis as an enabler of prevention and timely care. It also announced a multi-year investment of MXN 21 billion to consolidate IMSS-Bienestar: equipment, infrastructure, and staffing. And initiatives like “Salud Casa por Casa” aim to bring prevention and follow-up closer to people’s homes, especially for older adults and people living with disabilities. When a country bets on prevention, proximity, continuity, and supply, diagnostics becomes a backbone: without timely, quality testing, there is no effective screening, no reliable follow-up, and no efficient use of resources. Our commitment at Roche Diagnostics is to collaborate so that those priorities translate into measurable capabilities: access, timeliness, and confidence in clinical decision-making.
Mexico is particularly important given the still significant disease burden and limited resources. It has improved slightly, but it remains quite high. When we talk about cancer, for example, we still have more than 200,000 new cases, as estimated in 2022, and almost 100,000 deaths in the same year. There are still women in Mexico dying of cervical cancer. Approximately one death every two hours, even though it is highly preventable and treatable if diagnosed on time.
We can also look at diabetes. We have a huge prevalence of diabetes in adults in Mexico. Around 14 million people live with diabetes, and more than one-third do not know they have it. While I am encouraged by the shift from late treatment to prevention and early diagnosis, the battle is not yet won. There is still a lot to be done.
Diagnostics are the silent hero of healthcare. While in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) account for less than 2% of health spending and diagnostics overall typically represent only 3–5%, they inform roughly 70% of clinical decisions. This makes diagnostics one of the highest-value investments in healthcare, especially for prevention and early diagnosis.
Regarding 2026 and how we see things moving forward, we call 2026 the year of innovation. Our motto is that this is the year of innovation, as we are focusing first on increasing access to prevention and early diagnostics, and also making sure people in Mexico, not only patients but also the population, have access to cutting-edge technology. This year is important because we have many new launches and disruptive technologies across the healthcare and diagnostics spectrum that we believe will have a significant impact on healthcare in Mexico and help ensure sustainability.
Looking toward 2030, we started this conversation four years ago, and now we are at the halfway point. Our goal is still to reach the 50 million patient mark by 2030. We have been increasing access faster than expected and reached 43 million by the end of 2025, about 2 million more than originally estimated. I am very confident we will reach 50 million before 2030.
However, this is not only about quantity. We are not just doing more tests for more people. Access is critical, but now we want the right test at the right moment, connected to clinical decision-making and integrated to real outcomes, both for individual patients and at the population level. Healthcare integration is a key priority for us, beyond access and innovation.
EF: You mentioned the new launches and disruptive technology. Can you tell us more about that?
JC: 2026 is particularly important for innovation, but it is nothing new for us. We have been leading innovation globally and in Mexico for many years. It is part of our DNA. Last year, about 21 percent of our revenue went into research and development, and this has been consistent year after year. Just last year, in Mexico, we had 13 new product registrations for products we launched to market.
2026 is a pivotal year for disruptive innovation across the spectrum. One part relates to the centralization of care. There is a macro trend of both centralization and decentralization, and we are operating in both spaces, driving innovation across both areas.
On decentralization of care, we are reinforcing our portfolio with LumiraDx solutions, with rollout planned already in 2026. It is a small device that can be used in environments ranging from Mexico City to Chiapas, and within a few minutes, it provides diagnostics for infectious diseases and cardiovascular conditions, with additional tests available at competitive costs. This can materially expand access to actionable results near the patient and is a game-changer.
Secondly, we are launching a continuous glucose monitoring solution. We just got regulatory approval in Mexico. It is a digital solution that not only displays current glucose levels but also provides alerts and predictive insights, helping users anticipate what may occur over the next two hours, especially useful for daily activities, and shows the risk of low glucose for 7 hours overnight, providing peace of mind when you are sleeping.
We also launched sequencing kits in Mexico and plan to launch our sequencer next year. We recently achieved human genome sequencing in under 4 hours. This evolution in speed and cost can democratize sequencing, particularly in areas such as cancer research. Another example is mass spectrometry integrated into core lab solutions. It enables more precise diagnostics in areas such as therapeutic drug monitoring, drug abuse, vitamin D, steroids, antibiotics, immunosuppressants, and antiepileptics, for example. Previously, these systems were partially manual and required highly specialized staff. Now they are fully automated and integrated, which represents a major step-change for laboratories. These are four examples, among many, of how we are bringing disruptive innovation to the Mexican market.
EF: Roche is really restructuring the way the two platforms, the centralized and decentralized, are operating while advancing the portfolio. Could you discuss the differences between private and public approaches to these two market entry strategies?
JC: We strongly believe disruptive innovation should be in both the public and private markets. That is our commitment to bring this latest technology to everyone in Mexico. We know access is important, and we already have examples of our latest technology in the private sector, from top-tier hospitals to providers focused on affordability and broad access. In the private sector, we cover the full spectrum, and it is the same level of innovation across all segments, not advanced solutions for one group and legacy solutions for another.
We also see strong interest from the public sector for disruptive innovation. We are working with national institutes, such as the National Cancer Institute, which is already using our sequencing solution. So, top-level technology is also being applied in public institutions.
Innovation is not only about placing a new device in a hospital. It is also about integration. Historically, laboratories have been fragmented, with clinical chemistry, immunology, hematology, and molecular testing all separate. Now technology allows full integration, both hardware and digital. We are investing in digital solutions that integrate data and support partners across the public and private sectors.
These solutions improve laboratory workflow efficiency and provide healthcare professionals with clinical insights. For example, in cancer, artificial intelligence can read pathology slides and support decision-making, and help connect information to pathways, guidelines, or trials where appropriate. Beyond individual products, innovation is about integrating systems, data, and clinical insights, and we are doing so in both the public and private sectors.
This year, we are running a program with the government and the Secretary of Gender Equity and Sexual and Reproductive Health. The program has two main elements in addition to HPV testing. The first is self-sampling. Women can collect their own sample using a device, so they do not need to see a healthcare professional. This helps overcome social barriers, stigma, and access limitations, empowering women. The second is a digital solution that tracks what happens after screening. Screening alone is not enough because many women are lost to follow-up. The system allows recall after three to five years if the test is negative, or follow-up for diagnosis and treatment if needed. So, this is innovation with real impact, combining prevention, technology, and follow-up care across the patient pathway.
EF: How do you manage growth, especially in a year of innovation with 13 products approved and ready to launch, as you continue expanding in the Mexico market?
JC: We’ve grown sustainably for the past four years, and we plan to continue with double-digit growth every year. We are normally growing two or three times the market, which is a lot of responsibility because we are market leaders. Over the last four years, we have strengthened our leadership across both public and private sectors and earned the trust of our partners. Our plan is to continue expanding access to patients and, in doing so, continue to grow sustainably.
To do that, we are expanding the team and increasing partnerships with third parties to reach areas with less coverage, not only commercially but also in service and medical support. We are reinforcing our medical area and medical education initiatives to make sure this growth is sustainable.
EF: What should we be focusing on in the next four years?
JC: At Roche Diagnostics Mexico, we aim to lead in four areas. First is the growth of access, not only quantity but quality, meaning the right solution for the right person at the right moment.
Second is leadership in innovation. Historically, Mexico was not in the first wave of new launches for several reasons, including the time required for regulatory approvals, so we were typically in wave two or wave three of global launches. We are changing that. Right now, in some launches, we are already wave one, and that is our commitment: to deploy this disruptive innovation in Mexico as soon as possible. There is another aspect as well. We want to do more research in Mexico. We are conducting a range of research, and our pharma partners are doing the same. It is a significant commitment to expand local R&D and evidence generation as much as possible.
Another pillar is operational excellence, with two dimensions. One is internal operational excellence. We want to ensure we remain lean and sustainable and continue to provide excellent service across all aspects. The second is helping our public and private sector partners and customers strengthen their operational excellence, as the sustainability of the healthcare system is critical.
The fourth element is leadership in talent development, employee well-being, and caring for our people. Mexico is also exporting talent, Mexican talent going elsewhere, because there is a lot of talent in the country.
So, this is the broader view of our four pillars of leadership. Access, Innovation, Operational Excellence, and Talent Development. All four connect to sustainability, and all are essential to a sustainable health system and a sustainable business.
Looking ahead, there are several key trends. One is demographics and its connection to disease burden and disease profile. Mexico is getting older. By 2050, one in four Mexicans is projected to be over 60. This has a significant impact on disease incidence, especially chronic diseases. With this demographic change, there will also be pressure on public budgets. The demographic bonus Mexico has enjoyed will be gone by 2050. These are two huge pressures that will affect the healthcare system. The industry needs to help manage chronic disease and provide economically sustainable solutions.
Secondly, the healthcare system remains highly fragmented. Public policy is pushing for more universal access, but at the micro level, hospitals and labs are often disconnected. Consolidation and progress toward universal coverage, along with better information management, are needed.
Thirdly, digital health is critical. It is not just data, it is insights. We need integrated information. Diagnostics can transform data into clinical insights that optimize processes and healthcare delivery.
Fourth is disease management and personalized healthcare. When we talk about disease management, it is not only management. It is prevention, early diagnosis, and disease management. You need diagnostics to monitor disease progression, identify which treatments are working and which are not, and adjust accordingly, with personalized healthcare a key part of this, especially as the prevalence of diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases increases.
That is one element. The second is the set of solutions we will need to consolidate and integrate, both on the hardware side and on the digital side. That will be critical, including interoperability. Then there will be more specific programs. I gave the example of cervical cancer, but also diabetes and national diabetes care programs. To that end, we also need an important element I did not mention earlier: partnerships. No one is big enough or self-sufficient to address healthcare needs alone.
A common need driven by all these trends is that we need to partner to deliver integrated solutions. I am talking about patient pathways, not only connecting diagnosis with treatment, but also linking all parts of healthcare provision, from prevention to diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.
EF: What is your final message?
If I may close, with one reflection and invitation, is that we need to break the silos and collaborate across the different industry segments, companies, healthcare providers, government, patient groups, scientific societies, and healthcare professionals to provide integration of care to the benefit of patients.
