Bayer Iberia, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dr. Falk, Grünenthal and Merck, as a German Pharmaceutical Group, generates 685 million euros in Spain

A positive economic and social impact

The German Group represents approximately 10% of the contribution of Farmaindustria (which has 139 associated companies) in terms of turnover, investment and employment generation.

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The headquarters of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain in Madrid has welcomed the presentation of the report 'The German pharmaceutical industry and its contribution to Spanish society', prepared by the German Pharmaceutical Group in Spain, fruit of the association of Bayer Iberia, Boehringer Ingelheim, Dr. Falk, Grünenthal and Merck, five companies of German origin that work together within the framework of Pharmaindustry and that contribute to generating a positive economic and social impact in Spain.

 

The report (made with aggregate data from 2020/2021) quantifies the contribution of the five companies to the promotion of inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Specifically, the German Group represents approximately 10% of the contribution of Farmaindustria (which has 139 associated companies) in terms of turnover, investment and job creation. In the words of Miguel González Corral, Director of Communications at FarmaIndustria: “It is a great example to see how five companies in the sector join forces and jointly promote innovation, as the axis of their daily activity.” Furthermore, he adds: “Acting under the regulatory framework that governs them, they contribute significantly to the economy and the well-being of people in Spain.” 

 

These companies jointly generate a Gross Added Value (GVA) of 685 million euros and their indirect impact is around 160.000 million euros. A figure that is approximately equivalent to the annual expenditure of the General State Budget on pensions. In this regard, for its part, Martin Schneider, Director of Communication of the German Chamber of Commerce for Spain, states: “The companies of this Group have shown a high awareness of responsibility, as large corporations that they are, and have decided to share their vocation to contribute to creating added value and moving towards a new economic model based on science and innovation that generates “sustainable economic growth”.

 

Thus, although with heterogeneous profiles in terms of size – turnover volume and workforce –, investment capacity and areas of specialization, all of them apply corporate principles in which research and the promotion of innovation, quality work environments prevail. and the implementation of sustainable development policies.

 

Martin Schneider, Director of Communications for the German Chamber of Commerce in Spain, states: “The companies in this Group have demonstrated a high level of responsibility, as befits large corporations, and have decided to share their commitment to contributing to creating added value and moving towards a new economic model.”

 

The contribution of the cluster to the change in the economic model

 

Denise Quintiliano, Director of Corporate Affairs Communication at Boehringer Ingelheim Spain, states that “The pharmaceutical industry is a key sector in the Spanish economy and an ally in economic and social reactivation, which has the factor R+D as the central axis of its production model.” In this sense, only the five companies of the German Group, which represent approximately 10% of the sector's turnover, are contributing almost 14% of the investment in R&D&i of pharmaceutical companies in Spain which, in turn , is one of the industries that contribute the most to this chapter.

In this regard, “the role of the German Pharmaceutical Group in Spain is key because it stimulates research and innovation, both public and private, and because production located in national territory reinforces the industrial, export capacity and the strategic health autonomy of Spain”, added Quintiliano.

Impact on the labor market and territorial cohesion

On the other hand, "the Group's companies contribute positively to the labor market in Spain both through the generation of direct employment and indirect jobs, with a significant percentage of the total Spanish pharmaceutical industry and an important territorial capillarity" , has commented Laura Diéguez, director of Communication, Sustainability and Corporate Public Affairs at Bayer Iberia. This is strongly reflected in the data: in 2020, the companies of the German Pharmaceutical Group added 5.144 direct jobs in Spain, approximately 12% of the total direct jobs in the Spanish pharmaceutical industry.

This type of employment is also notable for its quality, diversity, and inclusivity, as the figures clearly demonstrate: over 90% are permanent positions, exceeding the average for the Spanish labor market. The commitment to female talent is evident, with complete gender parity both in the workforce (50,1% women) and in management positions (49,5%) across the Group's companies—double the average for the Spanish industrial sector in terms of female employees—and even higher percentages in R&D departments (65%). 

Furthermore, the distribution of the five German companies is a clear example of the commitment to rebalancing and territorial development, with nine production centers, eight R&D&I centers and five office locations spread across seven autonomous communities in our country.

Driver of the increase, internationalization and reorientation of investment in Spain towards R&D&i 

In 2020, the Group carried out 163 clinical trials with the collaboration of more than 1.400 centers and the participation of more than 12.000 patients. In this sense, Elisa Díaz, director of Government Relations and Public Affairs at Merck in Spain, has highlighted that “the commitment to innovation and R&D of the companies of the German Pharmaceutical Group allows the development of cutting-edge medicines to provide solutions to unmet medical needs in such relevant therapeutic areas as oncology, neurology or immunology, among others. ”.

The fact that Spain and the Group's companies are leaders in the implementation of clinical studies allows patients to benefit as a priority from potential treatments for their diseases, which translates into a way to accelerate access to innovation. therapy.  

The contribution to sustainable development

For its part, Juan Quintana, director of Public Affairs, Patients and Communication at Grünenthal, has highlighted the contribution and commitment of the pharmaceutical industry, and more specifically of the companies that are part of the Group, with sustainability, the environment and governance. 

In fact, this commitment has also been recognized by the United Nations, who has recently indicated that companies in the sector are above the Spanish average in knowledge of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda (87% knowledge, compared to 81 % of the mean).

“In the specific case of the Group companies, our activity contributes directly to 10 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting among them those related to Health and Wellbeing, Gender Equality, Decent Work and Economic Growth, and Climate Action,” said Quintana.