The Department of Health renews the Technical Secretariat of the Riojan CEImLAR

The Department of Health and Social Policies of the Government of La Rioja has ordered the dismissal of Lara García Álvarez and the appointment of Xabier Muñiz Trabudua as a member of the Ethics Committee for Research with Medicines of La Rioja (CEImLAR), in the capacity of holder of its Technical Secretariat. The decision is formalized through Resolution 44/2026, of September 18, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 183, of September 23, 2026, within section II of Authorities and Personnel. The replacement is adopted upon the proposal of the Management of the Riojan Health Service.

The CEImLAR is the accredited collegiate body in the autonomous community for the evaluation of clinical trials with medicines and biomedical research projects that require them; therefore, its Technical Secretariat performs administrative coordination functions and provides support for the Committee’s deliberations. Its legal regime stems from Decree 71/2005, of December 2, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 164, of December 13, which created the then Clinical Research Ethics Committee of La Rioja, now accredited under its current name.

Article 3 of that regulation attributes the appointment of the Committee members to the counselor competent in Health matters, while Article 4 establishes the duration of the mandate. The administrative file supporting the resolution is identified by number 202609180124574 and the document by the secure verification code BOR-A-20260923-II–1082.

The dismissal and the new holder

The resolution is structured into three operative sections. The first orders the dismissal of Lara García Álvarez as a member of CEImLAR in the capacity of holder of the Technical Secretariat, with express gratitude for the services rendered and her participation in the body.

The second section agrees to the appointment of Xabier Muñiz Trabudua to the same position and under the identical condition of holder of the Committee’s Technical Secretariat.

The change responds to a proposal from the Management of the Riojan Health Service, which suggested the replacement of the representative who had been exercising the Technical Secretariat as she was on a leave of absence. The direct precedent for the position is the Resolution of January 29, 2019 of the Department of Health, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 15, of February 4, which ordered the appointment of a Committee member in that same capacity.

Four-year mandate and possible renewal

The designation of the members of CEImLAR conforms to the provisions of Article 4 of Decree 71/2005, which establishes the following rules:

• The term of office is 4 years.
• After this period, members continue in their duties until a new appointment is made.
• Members may be reappointed.

These conditions apply equally to the new head of the Technical Secretariat, who assumes the position with the term already initiated by their predecessor.

Official publication and signature

The third section of the resolution orders the publication of the text in the Official Gazette of La Rioja, a procedure that has been fulfilled with its insertion in issue number 183, dated September 23, 2026, on page 16258.

The document was signed in Logroño on September 18, 2026, by the Councilor for Health and Social Policies, María Martín Díez de Baldeón, and consists of a single page.

The relevance of the measure is twofold: it guarantees the continuity of the body that authorizes clinical trials in La Rioja and fills the vacancy generated by the leave of absence of the previous head. For study sponsors, hospitals, and research groups, the appointment ensures that the Technical Secretariat of the CEImLAR maintains its ordinary activity of processing and coordinating files without interruption.

Source: Official Gazette of La Rioja, no. 183, of September 23, 2026, section II (Authorities and Personnel), page 16258 (official reference: BOR-A-20260923-II–1082).