Farmacias Similares: A Better Life for All People

Tara A. Spears

One of the concerns for long term visitors is how to be able to refill their prescriptions from another country. Fortunately, Mexico has an amazing medical resource that is easily assessable with over 6,000 locations throughout the country. Just present your foreign prescription-or even just the package that lists the ingredients- and Farmacias Similares pharmacists will help you. For over 20 years Farmacias Similares has fought both the government and private big pharma companies to provide affordable, top quality medicine for people of all income levels not just the wealthy few.Through the tenacity, vision, and hard work of the founder, Victor González Torres, we all benefit.

It’s not easy to miss the giant cartoon doctor dancing on a street as you travel; Dr. Simi is the mascot for the largest supplier of quality, low-priced medications that are sold through Farmacias Similares. While the rotund dancing doctor is meant to reassure children, the street shenanigans underlie the very serious mission statement of the company: “ Our goal is to make available to all people healthcare products and services that contribute to good health with the highest standards of quality and at the fairest price to help those who have less.”

Jaltemba Bay is fortunate to have a branch of this national chain on the main Avenida in La Penita. The manager, Katia Arellano Precidado, has operated this location since it opened five years ago. She had a previous career as a chiropractor in Guadalajara. When Katia learned that there was an opportunity to use her healthcare knowledge and training plus move to the beautiful beach area, she applied and was hired. “I love the beach and the small town,” said Katia through an interpreter. “It is less stressful and less traffic that in the city.” The La Penita store is open 7am until 11:00 pm seven days a week.

Not all generic types of medicines are equal. In fact, when I lived NOTB I usually only went with brand names because I had concerns about effectiveness. In discussing the issue of generic vs. brand name medicines, several doctors explained that generic can be just as effective if it has quality control. Imagine my relief to learn that from the beginning of the company, Farmacias Similares has demanded adherence to quality standards from it’s suppliers by having a trained company division for quality control that evaluates the manufacture of each product before the FS will consider selling it.

Due to FS demand for quality medicine at the lowest price, the Mexican government has instigated federal regulations that now require all pharmaceutical companies to be tested. The strategy of producing medicines for the low-income market was successful. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Mexico is one of the countries that spends less on health spending. Thanks to Gonzalez, since 2010 all packages of a Generic must contain the name of the active substance and an inspection mark that is followed by the name of the manufacturing laboratory.

The local Farmacias Similares is clean, bright, and staffed with trained personnel. “The company encourages education and training for its staff,” explained Katia. She is responsible for updating product orders based on customer demand. This location has a staff of 6 fulltime employees, with several who are bilingual in order to assist the international client. There is a wide assortment of vitamins, minerals, and health supplements in addition to the prescription drugs and full range of diabetic equipment. The price is $300 pesos lower than the same product down the street! This is a huge saving for a daily use item. FS also stocks beauty aids such as lotions and sun block.

After the death of his daughter, Dr. Simi divided his company into two parts: one commercial and the other altruistic. The Fundación Best, which was already six years in office, added the Fundación Niños de Eugenia and the Fundación del Dr. Simi, which together support more than 2,000 charities in the country. By 2007, according to the company, Dr. Simi dedicated 25% of his profits to philanthropy. As reported in the latest edition of ‘The 500 most important companies in Mexico’, this amount would be around 164 million dollars.

Not only has Sr. Gonzalez Torres become a high profile, successful entrepreneur but he also founded an anti-corruption political movement, invented a new category of medicines and even managed to set up an alternative venue for their products: the Pharmacies Similares Company. What a wonderful achievement and altruistic gift to the public.

While vacationing in Mexico, don’t worry about running out of prescription medicines; the friendly staff, low prices and high quality products available at Farmacias Similares are looking out for your health and well-being!