In recent years, the population that comes to request high cost medications has increased to such a level that there are proposals for the Public Health agency that manages these drugs to be managed with a item assigned by law in the General State Budget.
On the list of five catastrophic illnesses With the highest number of medications delivered between April and October 15 are: kidney transplantswith 283,390; breast cancerwith 83,135; rheumatoid arthritis, with 75,838; systemic lupus erythematosus, with 74,952, and prostate cancer, with 65,744 units of formulas delivered to patients affected by these conditions.
At the same time, the most worrying thing has been how in 2025 the number of patients with breast cancer who go to the Directorate of High Cost Medications (Damac). As of October 15, there were 435 applications for admission.
At the end of October, the director of the institution, Carlos Sanchezcomplained that many of those diagnosed request help when they are in advanced stage of the disease. Currently, there are 516 women who receive aid against breast cancer.
This disease alone represents an expense of more than 440 million pesos. Members are given 84 drugs different for their treatments, the total of which amounts to 83,135 units delivered, according to the Damac Information and Monitoring System.
It is a disease that affected 11,720 women in 2024according to the Superintendency of Health and Occupational Risks (Sisalril).
Ribociclib, 200 milligrams, and palbociclib, 125 milligrams, represent 96% of the most dispensed drugs. They cover an expense of 293.520 million pesos, equivalent to 66% of expenses.
In addition, of the 535 patients that the entity has on the waiting list, 16.6% corresponds to the breast cancerfollowed by hepatitis C, with 12.8%, and multiple myeloma, with 6.3%.
Criticism and defense
As of October 29, the entity had 8,274 beneficiaries active, who are supported with formulas to 115 diseasesrepresenting a monthly budget of 610.5 billion of pesos.
A few weeks ago, this unit was criticized for the number of patients on the waiting list. The Government defended itself by pointing out that, since 2020, the Damac budget went from 2,786 million to 7,314 million pesos in 2025.
