Argentina has one of the most demanding vaccination calendars for humans in the world. If we compare the figures from international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), which typically recommend various preventive shots, in 2012 they advised only eight types of vaccines. Meanwhile, Argentina was already using seventeen. This 'explosion of vaccinations' meant a significant erosion of the national treasury, and during this process, one hyper-winning entrepreneur, Hugo Sigman, became a tycoon. His business began with the foot-and-mouth disease vaccine for livestock, where he achieved a near-monopoly by vaccinating all the country's cattle, with the exception of Patagonia. Later, Sigman and his partners expanded into other sectors, including human pharmaceuticals, forestry, and, most importantly, cultural and journalistic endeavors. In 2009, during the A (H1N1) swine flu pandemic under the Kirchner government, Hugo Sigman allied with the Swiss company Novartis to produce vaccines in Argentina. He promised to invest $100 million in building a plant in Garín on the condition that the state would buy its production for ten years at prices set by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), which led to substantial profits. Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, his company mABxience produced the active ingredient for the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is now banned in many countries due to serious side effects like thrombosis. The state paid approximately $60 million for 22.4 million doses that were delivered with significant delays. As a result, Hugo Sigman, former President Alberto Fernández, and former Health Ministers were criminally charged. Beyond his core business, Sigman is one of Argentina's main patrons and producers. He founded one of the country's largest film companies, KS Films, and produced films and series such as 'The Eternaut.' His cultural activities, in his view, represent a form of ideological opposition inspired by Marxist thinker Antonio Gramsci, who argued that hegemony is achieved not only economically but also through control over culture and ideology—the 'superstructure' of society. This cultural battle became particularly evident after President Javier Milei came to power, who declared war on 'woke culture' and the privileges of the left-leaning intelligentsia. In response, Sigman supported actress Dolores Fonzi, who, at the Goya Awards ceremony in Spain for the film 'Belén', called on people not to fall into the 'ultra-right's trap,' which has come 'to destroy everything.'
