Madrid, May 30th 2016. – The Spanish pharmaceutical industry exported medicines for a value of 11,084.3M€ in 2015; it is first time on record this figure has exceeded the bar of 11 M€. Last year, exports grew by 7.9%, which was more than double of the total Spanish foreign trade (+3.8%), which in turn already positions the sector to represent 4.4% of Spanish total exports.

The value of exports is one of the most outstanding figures included in Farmaindustria’s 2015 Annual Report, which the Association’s General Assembly approved last Thursday May 26th, accessible from www.farmaindustria.es. This document also reflects that the sector accumulates a production value of above 14 M€, generating almost 37,000 direct jobs (around 200,000 counting indirect and induced ones), and ranks as the fifth European market in this field after the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy.

The report, which gathers together the main data of Spain’s most innovative industrial sector, as well as the detail of activities which Farmaindustria has been developing in representation of the latter during this time, offers a complete picture of the reality of the pharmaceutical companies present in Spain during the past year.

“The main fostering force behind Spanish public research”

The 2015 annual report includes amongst its main novelties a change in its format, aimed at allowing an easier and more dynamic reading, as well as smoothing the process of data consultation, which adds up to the video of a conversation between the President and Farmaindustria’s Director General, Antoni Esteve and Humberto Arnés, in which they analyze the main landmarks of 2015, as well as the sector’s current challenges.

During this dialogue, and amongst several issues, they highlighted that the pharmaceutical industry is not just the sector that most invests in R&D (investing more than 950 M€ annually), but it also dedicates almost half this amount to projects which are developed in collaboration with public centers (universities, hospitals, etc.), making it the “main fostering force behind Spanish public research”.

Between the immediate challenges analyzed, we find the commitment with sustainability, specifically the signing of a Protocol between Farmaindustria and the Spanish Ministries of Finance and Healthcare last year; the commitment of the R&D based pharmaceutical industry for transparency; the contribution to the safety of medicines through the forthcoming set up of the Spanish Medicines Verification System, the complying with European legislation and the contribution to the rational use of medicines through the adherence project, which is currently being finalized in partnership with healthcare professionals councils, scientific societies and patients’ representatives.