- It was founded in 1955 to meet the visual health needs of thousands of Mexicans.
- Within the field of ophthalmological drugs, it is one of the few companies that can compete with the large international companies.
- According to the Ministry of Health there are 2 million 237 thousand people with some visual deficiency in Mexico.
Innovation is a feature that prevails in all areas of life and health is no exception. Speaking specifically of ophthalmic medications There is a Mexican company that has positioned itself among the most important in the market and it is Grin Laboratories.
There are many and varied Mexican sayings that include two of the most important elements for the life of a human being: the eyes. They are the organs of sight, that is, those that allow a detailed appreciation of everything that is around in a country as full of culture, colors and traditions as Mexico, in which according to the last population census carried out in 2020, inhabit more than 126 million people.
But what would Mexico be without the personality of a Mexican? The Mexican sees things with optimism despite adversity, he is supportive and full of human quality, hence the saying “Give with closed eyes, receive with open eyes” makes a lot of sense. And it is that along with generosity, the Mexican, faces any situation, is creative and hard-working, but above all, has an entrepreneurial spirit.
It was precisely that entrepreneurial spirit and vision that in 1955 led a young Mexican to develop quality ophthalmological medications to meet the visual health needs of thousands of compatriots. Thus, Engineer Víctor Fregoso established Laboratorios Grin, a company that today represents one of the three main laboratories in the area of ophthalmology, an industry of 6,700 million pesos in which this company has a market share of around 8% and which it competes in an important way with the “big pharmas” with international companies.
The acceptance and trust that Laboratorios Grin has built through its portfolio of products, vision and values, was the trigger that sparked the interest of the transnational: Lupine Limited, to invest in the Mexican market.
Lupine, headed by Dr. Desh Bandhu Gupta who, like Ing. Fregoso, was committed to entrepreneurship, began operations in 1968 with a small investment of approximately $1,500 Mexican pesos with the firm conviction that science can be a powerful catalyst for change and transformation, to contribute to the general development of society. Today it has a presence in more than 100 countries around the world, including Mexico.
Inspired by the Lupine flower (a special plant that grows in adverse conditions, something very similar to the Mexican personality), Lupine Limited acquired Laboratorios Grin in 2014.
As part of the Lupine Group Company, and with an investment of more than 20 million dollars, Grin Laboratories was renovated to expand its production and research capacity, as well as to strengthen its Research and Development center, which currently works on 3 molecules new; which will be added to the portfolio of more than 50 products that, in addition to our country, are distributed in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru and Panama.
“Throughout this time we have distinguished ourselves by making innovation, the impulse for the development of new formulations for ophthalmological treatments, offering specialist doctors the best treatment options for their patients at the best prices and promoting that people visit your ophthalmologist as your first option, to attend to any common or simple visual health problem, as it may seem, “said Luis Guillermo Cortés, general director of Grin Laboratories.
According to data from the Ministry of Health (SSa), 2 million 237 thousand people have some kind of visual impairment in Mexico, with cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy being the most prevalent.
In accordance with the saying “Sight is the function of the eyes, but vision is the function of the heart”, Grin Laboratories will continue working to renew and expand its portfolio of highly specialized treatments in ophthalmology, and venture into therapeutic areas beyond of this specialty, to provide access to safe and effective treatments, as well as innovations in our business schemes and the development of new research that helps the quality of life of people in Mexico.
Also read:
The 5 most common causes of vision loss in older people
World Sight Day: Main eye problems of Mexicans
Device use can cause 9 out of 10 children to suffer from vision problems