Jordi Hereu presents the Profarma 2025-2026 Plan to make Spain a European leader in pharmaceutical production

Jordi Hereu, Minister for Industry and Tourism, has presented the new Profarma Plan 2025-2026 to the pharmaceutical sector, which seeks to encourage greater investment in this strategic sector for Spain. It is one of the most innovative sectors and is distinguished by the use of advanced production technologies and quality research employing highly qualified personnel.

Among other incentives, the Profarma programme offers a reduction in the contributions that pharmaceutical companies must make to the National Health System in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Guarantees and Rational Use of Medicines and Health Products.

According to the law, companies selling prescription drugs, which are financed by public funds, must contribute 1.5% or 2% of their sales to the National Health System, depending on the volume of their sales.

The reduction in contributions to the National Health System depends on the classification received by the companies in PROFARMA. The categories are acceptable (5%), good (10%), very good (15%), and excellent (25%), and the companies may benefit from a reduction of an additional 10% for participation in R&D consortia, or when temporary partnerships are made for this purpose with other companies established in Spain and public and private R&D centres, to carry out basic and pre-clinical research of relevance through specific and determined projects.

Leadership, employment and investment

The Profarma Plan 2025-2026 aims to make Spain a European leader in pharmaceutical production and drug development. It also seeks to strengthen skilled employment and increase foreign investment, as well as promote public-private partnerships. Given the international environment, boosting domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing will reduce vulnerability to potential global crises and strengthen the country's security of supply.

In R&D&I activities, the new programme will prioritise manufacturing and marketing by participating companies in areas such as strategic medicines, antimicrobials, biotechnology and advanced therapies, and medicines with less environmental impact.

This new PROFARMA 2025-2026 programme will assess aspects aligned with the Pharmaceutical Industry Strategy 2024-2028, the European Green Pact, the European Digital Strategy, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The plan will also now highlight the research activity of digital innovation centres, thereby leveraging the use of data and machine learning to drive innovation and drug development.

Three decades of validity

Throughout its more than three decades of existence, the Profarma programme has strengthened the competitiveness of the pharmaceutical industry, as well as its own investment and spending in areas and activities that have a very positive impact and externalities in the country, generating quality employment.

The programme is a highly valued tool by the participating companies, who consider the qualification obtained as an element of prestige that stimulates their performance in Spain. In terms of multinational capital companies, it is an argument used by national subsidiaries to capture new investments in our country.

Non official translation