Health appoints two new members to the CEImLAR ethics committee

The Department of Health and Social Policies of the Government of La Rioja has appointed Daniel Íñigo Zárate Garay and Francisco Jorge Vázquez Lázaro as new members of the Ethics Committee for Research with Medicines of La Rioja (CEImLAR). The appointments are formalized through Resolution 48/2026 and Resolution 49/2026, both dated September 30, and are published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 191, corresponding to Monday, October 5, 2026. The two appointees join the group of persons outside of the healthcare professions provided for in the committee’s regulatory legislation.

The framework for both decisions is Decree 71/2005, of December 2, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 164, of December 13, which created the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of La Rioja, now accredited as the Ethics Committee for Research with Medicines of La Rioja (CEImLAR). Article 3 establishes that the committee members shall include, at least, two persons outside of the healthcare professions, one of whom shall hold a law degree. The same provision grants the counselor competent in Health matters the power to appoint the members of the body.

In both files, the Management of the Riojan Health Service is the entity proposing the designation of the candidates, and the counselor signs the resolutions in Logroño on September 30, 2026.

Two legal profiles for the ethics body

Resolution 48/2026, with official reference BOR-A-20261005-II–1124 and document number 202610010124747, appoints Daniel Íñigo Zárate Garay as a member of CEImLAR in the capacity of Law Graduate and expert in Data Protection. The proposal from the Management of the Riojan Health Service thus complies with the mandate of Article 3 of Decree 71/2005, which requires the presence of a jurist among the members outside of the healthcare professions.

Resolution 49/2026, with official reference BOR-A-20261005-II–1125 and document number 202610010124748, appoints Francisco Jorge Vázquez Lázaro in the capacity of Law Graduate, also within the group of persons outside of the healthcare professions. The text is published on page 16778 of the gazette, one page after the first resolution.

Both provisions are included in section II. Authorities and Personnel of the official journal and share the same heading: “Appointment: of a member of the Ethics Committee for Research with Medicines of La Rioja (CEImLAR)”.

Four-year mandate and possibility of reelection

Article 4 of Decree 71/2005, of December 2, sets the duration of the appointment of the committee members:

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

The two resolutions also incorporate a second publication section, which orders the dissemination of the text in the Official Gazette of La Rioja, a procedure that was fulfilled with the edition of October 5, 2026.

Immediate background on the composition of the committee

These appointments come just two weeks after another movement in the composition of the CEImLAR. Resolution 44/2026, of September 18, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 183, of September 23, 2026, ordered the cessation of Lara García Álvarez as a member of the committee in her capacity as head of the Technical Secretariat, due to being on leave of absence, and the appointment of Xabier Muñiz Trabudua to that same position.

With the two new additions, the Department of Health and Social Policies reinforces the representation of legal and data protection profiles in a key body for the evaluation of clinical trials and other research with medicines developed in La Rioja. The composition of the committee determines which studies receive the mandatory favorable report before being authorized, therefore the changes directly affect sponsors, health centers, and patients participating in research projects in the community.

Source: Official Gazette of La Rioja, no. 191, of October 5, 2026, section II. Authorities and Personnel, pp. 16777-16778 (official reference: BOR-A-20261005-II–1124 and BOR-A-20261005-II–1125).