Abstract

GODINEZ RESENDIZ, Rogelio; SCHIFTER ACEVES, Liliana; GARCIA SANCHEZ, Sergio Emiliano  and  ACEVES PASTRANA, Patricia. Pharmacy and Industry in Mexico. The Professional Involvement of Benito Couriel Habif (1942-1980). Estud. hist. mod. contemp. Mex [online]. 2025, n.70, pp.121-152.  Epub July 04, 2025. ISSN 0185-2620.  https://doi.org/10.22201/iih.24485004e.2025.70.78015.

This article analyzes, for the first time, the professional career of Mexican industrialist Benito Couriel Habif (1920-1999), who currently holds a prominent place in the country’s pharmaceutical sector. His professional life (1942-1980) coincided with a period of major growth in the Mexican pharmaceutical industry, during which nationally-owned companies developed strategies to ensure their competitiveness amid the dominance of foreign firms. This study is based on historical research that includes primary bibliographic, press, and archival sources, as well as oral testimonies. The findings show that Benito Couriel Habif distinguished himself in various professional fields, such as patenting antibiotics, promoting and implementing new technologies such as lyophilization, producing essential medicines for the national health system, and founding pharmaceutical associations aimed at unifying and guiding the initiatives of their members, to elevate the status and relevance of pharmacy in society at the time.

Keywords : Mexican pharmacy; 20th century; history of lyophilization; Benito Couriel Habif; pharmaceutical industry.

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