Spain Must “Go Further, Bet on R&D, Innovation, Knowledge,” Says Farmaindustria President Sellés

MADRID, Spain – In its pharmaceutical industry proposals for economic and social reform, the National Trade Association of the Spanish-Based Pharmaceutical Industry (Farmaindustria) is requesting more investment in research and production in Spain.

Farmaindustria highlighted how crucial the industry was in combatting the coronavirus outbreak and can continue to play a relevant, even necessary role in strengthening the economy of Spain as it moves forward from the health crisis.

Martín Sellés, President of Farmaindustria, presented the industry group’s proposal to members of Spain’s Health Working Group of the Commission for Social and Economic Reconstruction as a way to help revive the Spanish economy and enhance the National Health Service (SNS).

Sellés explained that investment in R&D and innovation and public-private collaboration are crucial to be “faster in finding pharmacological and more efficient solutions” to problems with the health system in Spain.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the industry has so far managed to provide 25 million Spaniards who need medicine each day with what they need and kept the 82 drug production plans functioning at full capacity. Similarly, Spain’s industry worked to ensure medicines from abroad were shipped to Spain in a timely manner.

Spain has become “an international benchmark in clinical research,” Sellés added, making it the European country with the most clinical trials and the fourth country worldwide for clinical trials.

The industry is striving to rapidly develop vaccines going forward, with the aim of making them affordable and equitable in access; not just in Spain, but in all countries.

To accomplish these goals, the production of active ingredients should be returned to Spain and Europe, as the continent relies heavily on production in Europe for these products. Spain will need to invest more than just 1.24% of GDP in R&D—the European Union average is 2.2%.

A medium-long-term pharmaceutical strategy is therefore needed; Spain and its industry have “to go further and bet on R&D, innovation, and knowledge,” said Sellés, which includes a more homogenous policy of access to treatments among Spain’s autonomous communities and increased funding for the SNS.