The government of the Argentine province of Mendoza has received a new shipment of medicine from India, part of a strategy to reduce healthcare costs. Governor Alfredo Cornejo and Minister of Health and Sports Rodolfo Montero presented the shipment at the Central Hospital, which included 199,700 units of mycophenolate mofetil 500 mg. This immunosuppressant, used to prevent organ rejection in transplant patients, was procured through the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) Strategic Fund at a significantly lower price. According to the minister, the cost per tablet was 200 pesos, compared to 1,200 pesos on the local market. This single purchase saved 200 million pesos, and the total savings since the program's inception have exceeded 6.5 billion pesos, equivalent to 10% of the ministry's annual medication budget. Governor Cornejo emphasized that this policy is not merely about saving money but about improving management and freeing up resources for other critical areas. He highlighted that the success would have been difficult without the support of the national government and collaboration with the National Administration of Drugs, Food and Medical Technology (ANMAT) and the PAHO. The head of the Central Hospital's transplant service, Daniel Matus, stressed the clinical importance of the drug, noting that 80-90% of transplant patients in Mendoza use it. This shipment ensures treatment continuity for patients for over a year and a half, he added. Montero also announced that the province will soon receive another shipment of tacrolimus, an additional immunosuppressant that is expected to save around another billion pesos.
