Peru Pharmaceutical Sector Opens to the Central American Market with a Trade Delegation

A trade delegation, formed by Peruvian pharmaceutical companies, is planning to visit Kosta Rika and Honduras to evaluate new market opportunities. This comprehensive trade mission is being meticulously organized by the Pharmaceutical Products Committee of ADEX, one of Peru's leading foreign trade organizations. In official statements made by the Committee, it is emphasized that the Central American region stands out as a highly attractive and strategic alternative market for Peruvian drug manufacturers. The main reason for this is shown to be that Kosta Rika makes a massive import of approximately 1,369 million dollars annually for health and pharmaceutical raw materials. In addition to this, it is noted that Honduras has a significant pharmaceutical import budget exceeding 750 million dollars on an annual basis.

ADEX officials also shared important details with the public regarding the market dynamics in the target countries. It is stated that the demand for high-quality and competitively priced products is steadily increasing in the countries of the region. It was reported that the market holds a very bright growth potential, especially in the product segment known as over-the-counter drugs and referred to by the abbreviation OTC (Over-the-Counter) in the international literature. In this context, the Peruvian companies participating in the delegation are expected to present medical portfolios spanning a very wide spectrum. The said portfolio will cover highly critical and specialized fields such as neuropsychiatry, anesthesiology, respiratory health, oncology, dermatology, dermocosmetics, rheumatology, cardiology, urogenital health, infectious diseases, and radiology.

On the other hand, Peru's own pharmaceutical export data also reveals how strategic this trade mission is. The country's export of medical drugs for human use to foreign markets reached a volume of exactly 42 million dollars in 2025, which was last year. This figure represented a modest but promising increase of 2,4 percent compared to the previous year. However, in the first four-month (january-april) period of 2026, only a value of 13 million dollars could be achieved in export figures. This situation points to a significant contraction of 7,4 percent compared to the same period last year, pushing manufacturers to seek new markets.

In addition to all these global trade pursuits, Peru's local pharmaceutical sector also has serious internal bureaucratic obstacles and structural agenda items that it must overcome. The ADEX Pharmaceutical Products Committee is closely monitoring the establishment process and implementation steps of the Peru Medicines Agency (Apemed), which was announced by the Peru Government in april of last year. Industry representatives argue that this new regulatory agency must be established as an independent structure and must provide clear rules and solid legal guarantees for companies. Furthermore, the issue of basing audit mechanisms on proportional, non-restrictive to sector development, and predictable sanction criteria for companies is of great importance.

Another critical issue facing Peru's national pharmaceutical sector is the effective supervision of the rapidly increasing number of licensed pharmacies and drug stores in the country. Official statistics reveal that the number of businesses known only as pharmacy warehouses was 2.847 in 2016, and reached 6.199 by 2024. This incredibly rapid increase makes it mandatory to urgently implement a risk-based, much more efficient, and modern inspection system. For this reason, the sector committee emphasizes the strategic importance of making progress in the mutual recognition of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certification with internationally recognized and respected health authorities. Taking these steps will allow Peru's domestic production capacity to gain much faster access to other Latin American countries, and consequently, will enable the sector's global competitiveness to increase permanently.