Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
Pharmaceutical industry in Spain - statistics & facts
The pharmaceutical market is a key contributor to the Spanish economy. In 2022, it generated a revenue of 27.9 billion euros. Spain has, in fact, the fourth-largest pharmaceutical market in Europe in terms of revenue and the ninth-largest worldwide. That year, the country exported over 28 billion euros worth of pharmaceutical products, mainly to Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. The value of imported pharmaceuticals was 22.7 billion euros. The United States, Germany, and Switzerland were the main exporters of pharmaceutical products to Spain.
Pharmaceutical sales
Pharmaceutical drug sales in pharmacies have exhibited an upward trend in the last few years, both in unit sales and in value. In 2022, drug sales in Spanish pharmacies amounted to 10.8 billion euros. Specifically, pharmaceuticals acting on the nervous system constituted the largest-selling therapeutic group. This was followed by pharmaceuticals that targeted the digestive and metabolic systems, and the cardiovascular system. That year, pharmaceutical products within the therapeutic group of antineoplastic and immunomodulating agents were the ones with the highest average price. They were followed by the categories of diagnostic agents, and blood and blood-forming organs.Research and development
In Spain, the pharmaceutical industry is one of the economic segments that spends the most on research and development. In 2022, pharmaceutical R&D spending amounted to 1.4 billion euros, the highest amount registered in recent years. Clinical research occupied the largest share of pharmaceutical R&D expenditure with approximately 834 million euros invested, followed by basic research, technological development, and pharmacoeconomics, epidemiology and post-authorization studies.Main companies
Many global pharmaceutical giants such as Bayer, Pfizer, Novartis, and Moderna have subsidiaries in Spain. Among Spanish companies, the multinational Grifols, Rovi, Kern Pharma, Laboratorios Cinfa, and Bioibérica stand out. In 2021, Bayer Hispania and Bioibérica were the leading manufacturers of pharmaceutical products in Spain. Novartis Farmacéutica and Boehringer Ingelheim España topped the list as manufacturers of pharmaceutical preparations. That year, Moderna and Cofares were the country’s main pharmaceutical wholesalers.
