Towa International promotes the debate on the strategic role of generic medicines in the healthcare system

• The event, held at the Foment del Treball Library, brought together more than 20 experts from the public and private sectors to analyse the sector’s main challenges, both current and future.
• The meeting addressed the value of generic medicines as an essential tool to guarantee access, efficiency and resilience in the healthcare system.

Barcelona, 13 May 2026. – Towa International, the international hub for Towa Pharmaceutical and a company specialised in the research, development, manufacture and distribution of generic medicines, held a closed-door working session at the Foment del Treball Library focused on analysing the key role of generic medicines in the sustainability of the healthcare system.

The event, organised in collaboration with the consultancy firm Pascal&Partners, brought together more than 20 professionals, including institutional representatives, foundations and health-related organisations, the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, patient associations, the research community and healthcare spokespersons. The session was conceived as a space for strategic reflection and included opening remarks by David Peix, CEO of Towa International; Elena Casaus, Secretary General of the Spanish Association of Generic Medicines (AESEG); Dr Antoni Trilla, Professor of Medicine (Public Health) at the University of Barcelona; and Dr Marina Geli, Coordinator of the Centre for Health and Social Studies at UVic-UCC, who opened the debate on three key areas for the sector: the relationship between generic medicines and the public, the sustainability of the healthcare system and strategic autonomy in a global context of growing complexity.

“Ensuring sustainable access to medicines requires a strong commitment to communication, coordination and coherence among all stakeholders. In my view, communication between the public and private sectors is a key factor. Coordination involves anticipating risks and needs, strengthening industrial capacity in Europe and reducing strategic dependencies. Finally, it is important to move towards greater regulatory coherence in areas such as sustainability, innovation and pricing policies. That is why it is so important to create spaces like this one, which allow for the exchange of perspectives and progress in the right direction”, says David Peix, CEO of Towa International.

During his remarks, David Peix also highlighted that in Europe, around 70% of medicines consumed in terms of volume are generics, although they account for only around 29% of pharmaceutical expenditure, and that maintaining the same level of access without them would represent more than €100 billion in additional costs per year.

For her part, Elena Casaus, Secretary General of AESEG, highlighted that generic medicines make it possible to treat more patients and expand access to effective treatments, which translates into better health outcomes and fewer serious complications. She also noted that they generate significant savings for the healthcare system and free up public financial resources, while maintaining the same guarantees of quality, safety and efficacy, highlighting the threefold value they provide: clinical, economic and social.

She also pointed out that more than 90% of the critical medicines identified by the European Medicines Agency are generics. “We take advantage of their value in terms of price, but not their full potential in terms of use. It is time to align incentives and move forward with policies that promote their use”, concluded Casaus

A space for reflection on access, sustainability and resilience

Throughout the session, various lines of work were outlined, linked to the need to increase public awareness of generic medicines, as well as to the importance of moving towards a more robust and predictable supply chain that contributes to minimising the risk of shortages.

The meeting also placed the debate within the context of the demographic and epidemiological changes facing the healthcare system, such as the progressive ageing of the population and the increase in age-related chronic diseases — factors that will increase pressure on healthcare spending and the need for long-term sustainable solutions.

With this session, Towa International reinforces its commitment to promoting spaces for sector dialogue that allow progress and the search for joint solutions towards a more efficient and resilient healthcare system, capable of ensuring equitable access to high-quality treatments for patients.