Health Ministry grants 994,000 euros to entities for monitoring medicines and drugs

The Council of Ministers approved on September 1st the Royal Decree 710/2026, of September 2nd, which regulates the direct granting of various subsidies regarding medicines and medical devices during the 2026 financial year. The regulation, published in the Official State Gazette number 218, of September 3, 2026, in section I of general provisions (p. 118555), allocates a total of 994,000 euros to finance the activity of the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) and the entities that collaborate with it.

The decree, signed by King Felipe R. and by the Minister of Health, Mónica García Gómez, is issued under article 149.1.16.ª of the Constitution, which reserves to the State the exclusive competence over the bases and general coordination of health. The grants are awarded through the exceptional direct award procedure provided for in articles 22.2.c) and 28.2 and 3 of the General Subsidies Law 38/2003, of November 17, as they involve actions of special relevance provided outside the market that do not allow for competitive bidding.

Twelve beneficiary entities

The subsidies are distributed among twelve scientific and academic entities, most of which were already beneficiaries in 2025. The State Foundation for Health, Childhood and Social Welfare joins as a new recipient in this financial year, with the largest allocation, 326,000 euros, for the creation and dissemination throughout Europe of educational materials on antimicrobial resistance.

• Casa del Corazón Foundation (Spanish Society of Cardiology): €120,000, for the National Registries of Pacemakers and Implantable Defibrillators.
• University of Murcia: €72,000, for the study of ruminant mycoplasmas.
• Spanish Society of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology: €68,000, to implement EUCAST regulations.
• Spanish Society of Intensive, Critical Care and Coronary Units: €68,000, for “Zero Tolerance” patient safety projects.
• Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene: €68,000, for the surveillance of antimicrobial use.
• Spanish Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery: €60,000, for the National Registry of Breast Prostheses.
• PORCSA Association (Lleida Swine Sanitation Group): €50,000, for the swine epidemiological map.
• Foundation for Primary Care Pharmacists of Spain: €45,000, for antibiotic consumption indicators.
• Spanish Society of Hospital Pharmacy: €40,000, for the hospital antibiotic consumption registry.
• Piel Sana Foundation (Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology): €66,000, for the BIOBADADERM and REIDAC registries.
• Complutense University of Madrid: €11,000, for the veterinary antibiotic prescription guide.

Surveillance, trials and the fight against counterfeiting

The grants support essential functions of the AEMPS: the evaluation and authorization of medicines for human and veterinary use, the authorization of clinical trials, the continuous monitoring of drug safety, and the fight against illegal and counterfeit medicines and medical devices. In the field of pharmacovigilance, the regulation supports the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System for Medicines for Human Use (SEFV-H), which records suspected adverse reactions in the common FEDRA database.

The decree also finances the National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance (PRAN), approved in 2014, and Spanish participation in the second European Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance (EU-JAMRAI 2), co-financed by the European Union with a total budget of 62.5 million euros. Antibiotic resistance causes approximately 33,000 deaths in Europe every year, about 4,000 of which occur in Spain.

Deadlines and conditions

Entities must submit their application electronically through the Ministry of Health portal within one month from the entry into force of the decree, which occurs the day following its publication. The granting resolution must be issued within a maximum of two months. Eligible expenses must have been incurred between December 1, 2025, and November 30, 2026, and the grants will be paid in a single installment following justification via an operational and financial report with an audit report.

The regulation reinforces the protection of public health at a time when the safety of medicines and medical devices, the surveillance of implants, and the control of antibiotic resistance have become top-tier health priorities. For citizens, it guarantees the continuity of implant registries, the detection of adverse reactions, and the supervision of drugs, which are key elements for trust in the healthcare system.

Source: Official State Gazette, no. 218, Thursday, September 3, 2026, Sec. I, page 118555 (official reference: BOE-A-2026-18512).