Jordi Hereu presents the Profarma Plan to strengthen Spain's leadership in the pharmaceutical sector

The Minister for Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, brought the public launch event for the Profarma Plan to a close; this plan is one of the main tools designed to support the competitiveness of the Spanish pharmaceutical industry, with the aim of sharing the latest developments in the programme with the sector as a whole and strengthening dialogue between public authorities, companies and stakeholders in the biomedical innovation ecosystem.

The event highlighted the role Profarma has played for more than three decades in driving industrial investment, research, the creation of skilled jobs and the export capacity of pharmaceutical companies based in Spain. It has also served to analyse the challenges facing the sector in areas such as European strategic autonomy, the development of innovative medicines, digitalisation, sustainability and ensuring the supply of medicines.

Following the approval of the 2024-2028 Pharmaceutical Industry Strategy and the recent decision on the 2025 call for proposals under the programme, Hereu has reaffirmed the Government's commitment to a sector that generates added value equivalent to 2% of national GDP and is one of the main drivers of innovation in the Spanish economy.

He emphasised the importance of continuing to promote productive investment, research and public-private partnerships in order to consolidate Spain's position as a European leader in pharmaceutical production and drug development, whilst helping to ensure the sustainability of the healthcare system and patients' access to innovative treatments.

Round-table discussions to analyse the development and future of Profarma

The event featured two panel discussions, with participants including representatives from various organisations, executives from pharmaceutical companies and industry experts.

The first round-table discussion, entitled "PROFARMA: more than three decades promoting the pharmaceutical sector in Spain", traced the programme's history since its inception and analysed its contribution to strengthening the country's pharmaceutical industrial capacity.

The participants addressed the impact of Profarma on attracting investment, the development of R&D activities, the creation of highly skilled jobs and the consolidation of Spain as one of Europe's leading pharmaceutical hubs.

The second panel discussion, entitled "Profarma: public-private partnership for the future of medicines", focused on the challenges and opportunities that will shape the pharmaceutical industry in the coming years.

The topics addressed included the development and manufacture of strategic medicines, advanced therapies, biomedical innovation, digital transformation, environmental sustainability and the strengthening of supply chains through ever-closer cooperation between public authorities, companies, research centres and biotechnology startups.

A strategic programme for competitiveness in the pharmaceutical sector

The Profarma Plan, developed jointly by the Ministries of Industry and Tourism, and Health, and Science, Innovation and Universities, aims to recognise and reward excellence amongst pharmaceutical companies operating in Spain.

The programme assesses aspects such as industrial capacity, R&D activity, the creation of quality jobs, public-private partnerships, the contribution to exports, and efforts related to sustainability and the green transition. Depending on their performance, companies are awarded a rating that enables them to benefit from reductions in their contributions to the National Health Service.

The 2025 edition saw the participation of 54 pharmaceutical companies, 43 of which were successful applicants, underlining the sector's interest in an initiative regarded as a benchmark for boosting industrial competitiveness and pharmaceutical innovation in Spain.

Non official translation