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Impact of the blackout on the pharmaceutical industry
The consequences of the total power outage that occurred in Spain on Monday, 28 April, affected 100 of the 174 production plants established in the country. However, the outage did not compromise the normal supply of medicines. Furthermore, with regard to the impact of the blackout on the conduct of clinical trials, there was no disruption to activities, nor were patients or investigational drugs affected.
Public consultation period for comments on the EU Strategy for Life Sciences has ended
Following the deadline for submitting comments on the EU Strategy for Life Sciences, a total of 795 comments were received from different countries, including participants such as citizens, companies, academic institutions and public authorities, among others.
This EU initiative is a multidisciplinary strategy for life sciences in the EU, which aims to:
- Boost competitiveness and prosperity.
- Accelerate the green and digital transitions.
- Create new jobs.
- Reduce dependencies on external sources.
Following an initial review of the contributions, it appears that the main areas of interest focus on scientific and technological advances, funding and investment, intellectual property rights (IP), data and artificial intelligence, among others.
This strategy is expected to be adopted in summer 2025.
Regulatory update on psychotropic substances published
Last week, Order SND/380/2025, of 14 April, was published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), which includes new substances in Annex 1 of Royal Decree 2829/1977, of 6 October, regulating psychotropic substances and preparations, as well as the control and inspection of their manufacture, distribution, prescription and dispensing.
The regulation amends Royal Decree 2829/1977, of 6 October, and updates List II of Annex 1 to include new substances that must be subject to regulation. This update is therefore essential to ensure the application of appropriate control measures and criminal penalties proportionate to the health risks associated with certain substances.