From Medicines to Fuel: Traceability Tightens State Oversight in Argentina and Mexico

Despite the markedly different political profiles and public images of their respective presidential administrations, both Argentina and Mexico have embraced traceability systems as tools to strengthen control over products that are, quite literally, honey for illicit-trade bees.

Pharmaceutical traceability reform in Argentina

Argentina was an early adopter of a national pharma traceability system in Latin America, but over time the framework became increasingly complex due to successive amendments.

In September 2025, Argentina approved Disposición 6223/2025, streamlining its pharmaceutical traceability framework. The regulation consolidates earlier rules, introduces risk-based criteria for the serialisation of medicines and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and brings the system into closer alignment with international standards.

A key objective of the reform is to establish a more predictable regulatory environment. By clearly defining falsification risks, histories of illegal trade, and therapeutic vulnerability, the regulation provides greater clarity for decision-making. This approach enables authorities to determine which APIs require new or enhanced traceability measures, in line with international best practice.