In Conversation
Workloads for in-house counsel within pharmaceutical companies have exploded in recent times. José D Zuniga, head of legal, compliance, regulatory affairs and asset protection at Cuestamoras Salud shares how he has been navigating recent regulatory changes in Costa Rica.
Cuestamoras Salud is a pharmaceutical distribution company. We have a portfolio of distribution assets that not only cover pharmacy, but also medical equipment. We serve the two biggest markets in Costa Rica: the public market – which consists of hospitals, clinics and the whole public health sector – and the private sector, which also includes hospitals, clinics and pharmacy outlets. I have legal oversight for compliance functions, regulatory affairs and value protection (formally known as asset protection).
Since COVID-19 our workload has increased significantly, especially in the areas of regulatory compliance, contracts, customs and public health bidding. Public health bidding has been a huge area for us, and in recent times it has obviously increased. The pharmacy and health sector have to buy products from the market, during a time when everybody is trying to buy the same products. This has been a really big challenge for us.
