Is it medical cooperation or ideological favoritism? A recent investigation by the independent news outlet Animal Político has revealed that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's government granted multi-million-dollar contracts to a Mexican company tied to the Cuban government. The report also outlines key moments in the evolving relationship between Mexican and Cuban authorities that facilitated the purchase of pharmaceuticals produced on the island.

According to publicly available records and federal audits, between 2022 and 2023, at least 111 million Mexican pesos (approximately USD $5–6 million) were awarded—without competitive bidding—to Neuronic Mexicana S.A., the Mexican representative of Cuba’s AICA Laboratory, part of the state-run conglomerate BioCubaFarma.

Among the documented purchases were 3.4 million bottles of ophthalmic drops (including Chloramphenicol, Prednisolone, Pilocarpine, Atropine, and Diclofenac sodium), which cost the Mexican government 80 million pesos. However, many of the products were rejected due to poor quality, expiration, or lack of proper health certifications. Even essential medications like Cisplatin, used in cancer treatment, were only partially delivered—just 65% of the agreed quantity reached Mexico.

Former officials at Mexico’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Birmex claim these purchases stemmed from a directive issued by its former director, retired general Jens Pedro Lohmann. Birmex had reportedly never handled this type of medication before. Nonetheless, based on an order from the top, the company entered into a deal with Neuronic and began distributing AICA’s products, according to the findings of Mexico’s Federal Audit Office (ASF).

The data shows a striking trend. Before López Obrador’s presidency (2018–2024), the Cuban firm had received only 419,000 pesos in government contracts between 2009 and 2015. Under his administration, that figure skyrocketed. This windfall aligned with a 2020 executive decree allowing the import of foreign medications without Mexican health registration, based solely on approvals from agencies like Cuba’s CECMED.

In response to a questionnaire from Animal Político, Neuronic admitted that its products entered the country under this regulatory loophole, bypassing standard health certifications. Despite this, many shipments arrived with damaged packaging, expired medications, or failed to meet basic quality standards. Some deliveries were incomplete or included drugs that had not passed regulatory testing—but were distributed anyway.

Further issues surfaced. A portion of the Cuban pharmaceuticals never made it to hospitals. In some cases, only a fraction of the ordered inventory was delivered. A video report by elTOQUE explored several of the complications tied to this cross-border pharmaceutical deal.

One of the initial contracts came in 2022, when Birmex allocated 1.95 million pesos to Neuronic for the purchase of Aminophylline—used to treat respiratory illnesses—and Fluorouracil, a cancer medication. Auditors found that roughly 54,000 doses of Aminophylline were either incomplete or damaged, along with 10,000 doses of Fluorouracil.

Despite these deficiencies, Birmex awarded Neuronic another no-bid contract in 2023, this time for 109 million pesos. The deal was signed by several top Birmex officials, including legal representative Sandra Gómez Ríos, Commercial Director Manuel Arizpe Diez Martínez, Procurement Manager Ignacio Cruz Zúñiga, and Finance Director Diana Soto Araballo.

Then, in 2024, IMSS-Bienestar—a public health program serving Mexico’s poorest communities—entered into a new agreement worth 316 million pesos for individual medical supply kits. The contract, again directly awarded, was signed on July 5, 2024, under the leadership of Alejandro Calderón Alipi, head of IMSS-Bienestar at the time.

That same day, the Cuban firm was notified it would receive 273 million pesos for the delivery of 11,778 primary care kits, each priced at 23,184 pesos. The kits included basic medical tools such as stethoscopes, glucose meters, oximeters, thermometers, backpacks, wound care supplies, and other clinical equipment.

However, a market price review indicated that each kit was likely worth closer to 18,000 pesos. Moreover, although the contract was signed in September, by December 2024, the company had yet to deliver.

IMSS-Bienestar ultimately canceled the contract, citing a “force majeure” due to alleged natural disasters that had disrupted production and distribution. The agency also pointed to logistical and storage limitations.

Responding to criticisms of poor-quality or late deliveries, a Neuronic spokesperson told Animal Político that all penalties related to delays, transport damage, and short shelf lives were enforced. The company also issued credit notes and refunds for expired drugs. However, when pressed for the total amount reimbursed or penalized, the firm declined to provide specifics.

The ongoing revelations point to a troubling pattern of negligence and possible corruption involving Birmex and Neuronic Mexicana—one that highlights the murky dealings between two governments whose rhetoric of solidarity and cooperation increasingly resembles a form of ideological clientelism.

In short, official reports reveal a network of multi-million-dollar contracts awarded without oversight, substandard products, and life-saving medications that never reached the people who needed them most.