Barcelona, January 29, 2026 – Catalonia.health CEO Arantxa Sanz participated this week in the third edition of the "Life Sciences Innovation" conference series, co-organised with EY, which on this occasion explored the challenges and opportunities presented by the future regulation of medicines and medical products for the Spanish market.

The event, held at EY's Barcelona offices, brought together experts from the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors to analyse the Draft Medicines Law, currently in parliamentary process, and its implications for the industry.

A Strategic Topic of Interest for the Entire Ecosystem

In her opening remarks, Arantxa Sanz emphasised the importance of business associations in the health sector making their voices heard during the legislative process: "It is important that health business associations can raise our voices during the parliamentary process for the deployment of the medicines law, which is still ongoing. We believe this is a topic we could not overlook—it generates significant interest and affects us all."

Hugo Dosil, partner responsible for the Life Sciences sector at EY Business Consulting, welcomed attendees by highlighting the strategic relevance of this debate for the future of the pharmaceutical industry in Spain.

Key Innovations in the New Law

Susana Ferrer, partner responsible for the public law and regulated sectors area at EY Abogados, provided a detailed introduction to the main innovations in the Draft Law. "The regulations that will develop the law and define the details will be essential. Public-private coordination is crucial. One of the main innovations of the law is that it redefines the role of medicines, from a market commodity to a strategic asset for public policy definition," noted Ferrer.

Among the most relevant innovations are:

• Anticipating shortages: promotion of centralised public procurement and creation of a technical guide for the exceptional acquisition of non-funded medicines
• Redefinition of the role of medicines: from market commodity to strategic asset for public policies
• Price review system: the public administration will review prices every six months
• New obligations for the industry: transparency, supply management plans, and sanctions regime

Industry Vision: Opportunity to Strengthen the Sector

The session included a round table moderated by Jaime del Barrio, senior advisor for the Life Sciences sector at EY, with the participation of industry leaders who provided diverse perspectives:

José Luis Fernández Sevillano, director of Value Access Iberia at Grifols International, emphasised that "the law is an opportunity to position Spain as a key player in biopharma in Europe and strengthen the industry".

Cristina Planellas, director of Regulatory and Institutional Affairs at Laboratorios Rubió, focused on lessons learned: "We have learned a lot from COVID, the new law should address foreign dependency and consolidate productive autonomy. We are facing a great opportunity to reformulate the health system and see healthcare as an investment rather than an expense".

Nati Calvente, Public Affairs Head at Novartis España, highlighted two key aspects: "The law can provide stability and predictability, which is what investors seek," adding that "the pharmaceutical sector is Europe's third economic driver, which is why the medicines law represents an opportunity in capital letters".

The Importance of Sectoral Events

This third session of the series reaffirms Catalonia.health and EY's commitment to creating spaces for reflection and debate that enable the Catalan and Spanish healthcare ecosystem to remain at the forefront of the sector's regulatory and technological transformations. Active participation in sectoral events such as this facilitates knowledge exchange, strengthens collaboration networks, and allows companies to anticipate regulatory changes with a shared strategic vision.

The day concluded with a networking breakfast that allowed attendees to deepen the reflections raised and establish professional connections.