The Cofares General Assembly held this Thursday in Madrid approved a proposal to amend the statutes introduced by Eduardo Pastor, the head of the Cooperative, a move that aims to provide stronger legal certainty for its members and to limit the entry of non-pharma capital into the sector. The decision earned broad support within the assembly, with seven out of ten delegates backing the initiative led by the president. In the same session where delegates representing the partners gathered, the annual accounts for the previous year were given the green light, along with the Presidency, Treasury and Secretariat Report, and the General Policy of the Cooperative.
The proposed law change updates regulations dating back to 2002, protecting the cooperative from non-pharmaceutical capital and describing the reform as a necessary step. It seeks to guarantee legal certainty for all cooperative members while preserving the pharmacy model and keeping non-pharma capital out of the sector. Pastor emphasized that the aim is to identify potential threats to the supply chain and prepare for a rapidly changing environment, a goal that requires readiness.
The new text outlines the need to ensure that a community of pharmacy graduates can operate with clear legal footing. Pastor drew attention to a backdrop in which approximately 1600 pharmacies are already actively operating under this model, while non-pharmaceutical capital has been excluded from participation. Through this legal reform, the Cooperative anticipates possible interventions in the sector and asserts the right to veto entrants outside the pharmaceutical channel.
Cofares event in 2021
The cooperative closed 2021 with a turnover exceeding 3.6 billion and a market share of 29.2 percent, reflecting an increase of about two percentage points compared with 2020. By 2022, the organization had rebounded further, reporting a rise of nearly 29.7 percent based on official data from IQVIA. That year Cofares brought together 11,971 members and covered more than 56 million kilometers through its intensified drug distribution activities, managing 85,000 product references and processing 17.4 million orders. The distribution network expanded its routes by 1.24 percent to 2,121.
Today the cooperative operates 43 warehouses, logistics centers and platforms. It continues advancing a logistics strategy that aims to have a warehouse within an hour’s reach of every pharmacy and to open new centers. Projects include the adaptation of four new centers in Linares, Ourense, Tarragona and Onda, along with additional warehouses planned for Seville, Las Palmas, Motril, and Vicálvaro in Madrid. These investments reflect a broader drive to strengthen accessibility and reliability in pharmaceutical distribution.
Plans also highlight diversification initiatives. The cooperative pursues new services for pharmacies that go beyond distribution, while intensifying digitization to optimize processes and help pharmacies stand out in a digital health landscape.