Biography

Víctor Manuel González Torres (Mexico City, June 1, 1947), known as Víctor González Dr. Simi, is a Mexican public accountant and pharmaceutical entrepreneur. He is best known for founding Farmacias Similares, a pharmacy chain specializing in the sale of low-cost generic drugs. His pharmacy business has established itself in three countries: his native Mexico, Chile (under the name Farmacias del Dr. Simi), and Colombia (in the latter, under the name Droguerías del Dr. Simi). He also founded "Grupo Por Un País Mejor," a group of companies and social institutions to which the chain belongs, as well as other companies and organizations such as Laboratorios Best, Fundación Best, Sistemas de Salud del Dr. Simi, and Fundación del Dr. Simi, among others. He briefly entered politics as a candidate for the Mexican presidency during the 2006 federal elections. Early Years Víctor González Torres comes from a family with a history of business and politics: one of his brothers, Javier González Torres, owns Farmacias Fénix, Farmacias de Genericos, and Laboratorios IGFA. His other brother, Jorge González Torres, was the founder and first president of the Green Ecologist Party of Mexico and its presidential candidate in the 1994 elections. Another brother, Enrique González Torres, is a Jesuit priest and has served as rector of the Universidad Iberoamericana. His older brother, Roberto González Torres, lives in Texas. He has three sisters: Margarita, Virginia, and María. Víctor González Torres began to gain notoriety as the owner of the Farmacias Similares chain, which sells similar medications at a lower cost than brand-name drugs. In order to offer them for sale to the public, they claim to have a bioavailability study that certifies them as interchangeable generics. Critics point out that the medications sold by Víctor González Torres's company cannot be considered equivalent to well-known brand-name drugs, as Mexican law requires a series of tests to grant that status (interchangeable generics). González Torres responds that people would not buy the products if they did not work. For this reason, his slogan, "The Same, But Cheaper," has earned him criticism and even lawsuits from pharmaceutical companies, but to date, none of these lawsuits have been successful. Víctor González Torres claims to have taken a stand defending the underprivileged, whom he claims to want to help with his cheaper products. He did this through a major advertising campaign that saw him take on the persona of the character who represented pharmacies, Dr. Simi. In 2022, he institutionally renamed himself, in an administrative circular, as Víctor González Dr. Simi, alluding to his character and eliminating his maternal surname, with no evidence that this was a formality in his birth or legal records. [citation needed] In recent years, Farmacias Similares and "Grupo Por Un País Mejor" have undergone a leadership transition. Víctor González Herrera, son of Víctor González Torres, assumed the position of CEO of Farmacias Similares and chairs "Grupo Por Un País Mejor," continuing the vision of both organizations.

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