Farmaindustria has conveyed to the political parties, ahead of the general elections on November 29 and the start of the next legislature, the convenience of progressively increasing public investment in Health by one percentage point of GDP, in coordination with the autonomous communities, with the aim of "strengthening and modernizing the system," so that Spain reinforces its care capacity and is prepared to incorporate the innovation that improves the quality of life of citizens.
According to the employers' association, "with this additional investment, it will be possible to strengthen prevention with screenings, early diagnosis, and immunization, as well as plan the arrival of innovation, measure health outcomes, consolidate value-based funding, or reinforce health resources and infrastructures."
The organization considers that the next legislature "offers a new opportunity for the Government to place Health among its priorities," and for this reason articulates three major lines of action to improve the health of the population: "reinforce Health, accelerate patient access to innovation, and consolidate Spain's scientific and industrial leadership."
In this regard, it details that a sustained increase in health investment of one percentage point of GDP, reaching 7.5% by 2035, would allow the Spanish GDP to rise by more than 200 billion euros over that period.
Faster and more equitable access to innovative medicines
The second major proposal focuses on bringing innovative medicines closer to all patients. In this framework, Farmaindustria demands that political parties promote "faster and more equitable access" to these treatments. To achieve this, it emphasizes the need to comply with the European directive that sets a maximum period of 180 days to resolve the funding of new medicines (with an accelerated pathway of 90 days for priority innovations), as well as to avoid territorial inequalities and improve effective access to drugs authorized by the European Medicines Agency.
"It should not be forgotten that Spain is a leader in clinical trials, but there is still a long way to go to achieve leadership in the availability of medicines, which allow improving the health and productivity of citizens," points out the employers' association.
Biomedical research and strategic autonomy as state policies
In third place, Farmaindustria defends that biomedical research and strategic autonomy should be elevated to the category of state policies. Among the specific measures, it proposes to strengthen leadership in clinical trials through greater use of technology and a more active participation of primary care; create strategic reserves of critical medicines; recognize the industrial and research footprint in public policies, and position Spain as a reference in the secondary use of health data to research new treatments.
With this set of actions, it argues that "the innovative pharmaceutical industry is convinced that Spain can consolidate its scientific excellence, achieve greater supply security, promote more qualified employment, and gain in responsiveness to future health crises."
Farmaindustria considers that this package of initiatives represents a relevant opportunity for the country. With a competitive and predictable environment, regulatory stability, and clear signals for investment, Spain could attract 21.5 billion euros between 2027 and 2030, reach 30 billion euros in exports, and achieve 81,000 direct jobs in the sector by 2030, with 4,600 new annual hires.