For millions of people, diabetes is not just a health condition—it is a daily reality that influences how they live, work, and plan their futures. In Mexico, the situation is particularly urgent: National data show that nearly one in five adults lives with diabetes, highlighting its high prevalence. Moreover, diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the country, underscoring its significant public health impact.
For many, the journey to manage diabetes is as challenging as the diagnosis itself. Fragmented public healthcare pathways often force patients to spend months navigating care. They move from one facility to another before receiving the full treatment they need—if they can afford it at all. These systemic challenges result in long delays, rising personal costs, and growing treatment fatigue—turning accessing care and adherence to treatment into a constant balancing act with everyday life.
When systems struggle, innovation emerges
In such a fragmented landscape, continuity of care is far from guaranteed. Chronic diseases like diabetes bring not only physical complications such as chronic kidney disease and heart failure, but also financial strain, emotional burden, and persistent stigma. The impact reaches beyond the individual—placing pressure on their families, communities, and in the end the healthcare system as a whole.
Traditional healthcare structures, while essential, often struggle to address the full spectrum of patient needs—particularly in underserved communities. This gap has created an opportunity for alternative, high-quality clinical care delivered by multidisciplinary teams, improving accessibility, affordability, and continuity.
Partnership as a catalyst for systemic change
Enter Clínicas del Azúcar (Sugar Clinics): an innovative social enterprise, established in 2010, providing affordable diabetes care to underserved communities across Mexico. Their business model addresses these challenges head-on: they offer integrated care—including diagnostics, consultations, nutrition and psychological support—all under one umbrella as a “one-stop shop” solution.
Combined with operational excellence, this streamlined model significantly enhances the patient experience: while fragmented public care pathways can take months, Clínicas del Azúcar consolidates diagnostics, consultation, and support into a single visit.
At costs well below comparable private specialist care, they make high-quality diabetes care accessible, and support sustained disease management, helping to reduce the risk of complications, including those affecting cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic health.
Over the past decade, this integrated model has successfully evolved into a growing network of clinics across Mexico and has now crossed the border into the United States, signaling its relevance beyond a single national context.
Specialized care: Access
Established in 2010, the chain now operates a network of over 50 specialized diabetes clinics across communities in Mexico.
Treatment options: Value
Guided by cost benchmarks, Clínicas developed a membership model designed to make diabetes care more affordable.
Therapy adherence: Care
Addressing fragmented care, which often leads diabetes patients in Mexico to interrupt or stop treatment due to access barriers.
Looking ahead: Health systems built for tomorrow
In a country like Mexico, where diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and kidney conditions represent critical public health challenges, innovative models of care are increasingly significant. Partnerships that combine scientific expertise, operational innovation, and social entrepreneurship offer new pathways to address complex realities. The evolving collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico and Clínicas del Azúcar illustrates how cross-sector approaches can help shape more accessible, coordinated, and resilient healthcare systems.
As chronic diseases continue to rise globally, such initiatives highlight the importance of rethinking how healthcare is delivered—not only to treat illness, but also to support sustained diabetes management in communities with historically limited access to integrated care.
Our collaboration
The collaboration between Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico and Clínicas del Azúcar began in 2010 with early-stage support that helped establish the first clinic in Mexico City. Since then, the partnership has developed into a long-term initiative focused on expanding access to early diagnosis, treatment, and sustained disease management.
A milestone includes a membership-based program launched by two Boehringer employees that allows local colleagues to access Clínicas del Azúcar’s services at no cost. The program was designed as a model to encourage other companies to provide employees with access to specialized, comprehensive care to prevent or manage diabetes. To date, it is part of the benefits offered by more than 40 companies.
Through recent investments, such as through Boehringer’s Social Engagement Fund, new clinics are being established to serve additional communities. This partnership reflects a shared belief that healthcare innovation often emerges at the intersection of entrepreneurial thinking, scientific rigor, and local understanding.
Read more on Imagine – Boehringer Ingelheim’s sustainability story hub.
