"It is important to recognize the three phases in obesity treatment, the first step being diagnosis. The second step is to treat and manage the disease, and the last step is to maintain the healthy weight achieved by the completion of the first two steps. By creating products for each step in the process—the diagnosis, treatment and maintenance—we are not just offering a product, but a holistic solution that addresses many factors in the equation," says Lopez Patan.

"Since we started reinforcing and developing this central model, we have been growing very rapidly: the annual average increase rate is 20%... we are number one in the private prescription market supplying almost 40% of the total units," he continues, attributing the success to their integrated approach.

It is not only diabetes and obesity that are increasing as Mexican lifestyles become more developed. The prevalence of CNS illnesses is also on the up. The more developed a society becomes, the more prone people are to illnesses such as depression. The WHO reports that the highest levels of growth in depression are coming from emerging markets like Mexico. Oscar Parra left Mexico eleven years ago and came back last year as general manager for Lundbeck Mexico, the CNS specialists.

Oscar Parra, General Manager, Lundbeck

Diabetes, obesity and CNS diseases are growing at a fast pace in Mexico, and the burden of indirect costs for these diseases is often higher than the treatment for the diseases themselves. Surely this means that with the right amount of education in the right place, governments should be waking up to the benefits of making access to treatment more available. As the stigma is slowly shaken off, more patients should also be willing to get diagnosed and comply with treatment. This combination makes a market ripe for picking.