Companies
The 1,650 companies in the BioRegion of Catalonia generated €29.229 billion in revenue (2024) and employ nearly 84,800 people, with employment increasing by 29% over the past five years. The life sciences and healthcare ecosystem comprises 10% large companies, 13% medium-sized companies, and 77% micro and small enterprises. Barcelona concentrates most of the activity and economic impact of the healthcare sector in Catalonia, as 93% of the sector’s companies and entities are headquartered there.
Astrazeneca
AstraZeneca is one of the most advanced and integrated biopharmaceutical companies in the world. In Spain, it employs more than 700 people working in cardiovascular, renal and metabolism, respiratory and oncology.
A diverse ecosystem
The largest group of companies in the BioRegion of Catalonia consists of more than 423 biotechnology companies. In addition, the BioRegion includes 238 medical technology companies, 130 companies in the pharmaceutical sector (half pharmaceutical companies and the other half specialized suppliers and distributors), and 259 companies offering digital health products or services. The BioRegion also includes around 279 professional services and consulting firms, 240 supplier companies, and 81 investment companies.
Leaders in exports
A total of 880 Catalan companies are regular exporters of life sciences and healthcare products (44% of all exporters in the sector in Spain). In 2024, they exported goods worth €9.165 billion, accounting for 9% of all Catalan exports and 46% of Spanish exports in the life sciences and healthcare sector. As for imports, they totalled €9.403 billion, representing 9% of all Catalan imports, maintaining Catalonia as the second-leading region in healthcare product imports in Spain, with 31% of the national total.
Catalonia, an industrial powerhouse and strategic hub for multinationals
Featured companies
Amgen
Amgen first began working in Spain in 1990 as a distributor. This California (US) based biotechnology firm produces therapies for cardiology, nephrology, onco-hematology and bone metabolism.
Grifols
Grifols is a global company that specializes in plasma based medicines to treat rare and chronic diseases in areas like immunology, hepatology, hematology, pulmonary diseases and neurology.
Almirall
One of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the country (turnover +€850 million). It specializes in dermatology but also develops drugs for the nervous system, gastrointestinal and respiratory conditions, infectious diseases and neoplasms.
Esteve
Esteve has made neurology the focus of its pipeline (epilepsy, Alzheimer, depression, pain), followed by ophthalmology. It also offers CMO services and produces generics.
Ferrer
Ferrer focuses its R&D on neurological disorders and pulmonary diseases, but also markets drugs for the nervous system, cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology and pain, as well as parapharmaceutical products.
Oryzon Genomics
Created as a spinoff of the UB, this biotechnology firm, which has been publicly traded on the Spanish Continuous Market since 2015, focuses on developing epigenetic therapies for oncology and central nervous system treatments.