The Government takes the penultimate step before the August break so that nurses can prescribe and vaping is prohibited on terraces

The Council of Ministers is expected to give the green light, in a second reading, to the draft bills of the new Law on Medicines and Health Products and the Tobacco Law, two reforms with which the Ministry of Health intends to update both pharmaceutical regulation and prevention measures against the consumption of tobacco and electronic devices.

Once they receive the Executive's approval, both texts will begin their parliamentary processing in Congress, where they must be debated and put to a vote before becoming law.

Among the main novelties of this future medicines law is the expansion of the competencies of certain healthcare professionals. The reform will allow nurses and physiotherapists to prescribe certain medicines, a measure with which Health seeks to strengthen care coordination and streamline patient care.

The draft bill also incorporates changes aimed at accelerating public financing of new treatments, favoring the incorporation of generic and biosimilar medicines into the National Health System, and modifying the pricing system for these products. As explained by the Secretary of State for Health, Javier Padilla, the new model aims to adapt the price of generic medicines to the volume of dispensing to incentivize their use.

More restrictions on tobacco and vaping consumption

The second reform will affect anti-tobacco legislation. The text equates electronic cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches, and other devices to conventional tobacco, so they will be subject to the same limitations. In addition, Health plans to expand smoke-free spaces, incorporating places such as hospitality terraces, public transport shelters, swimming pools, concerts and other outdoor shows, as well as vehicles intended for transport with a driver.

The new text continues the measures promoted by the Ministry of Health in recent months to limit the use of electronic cigarettes among young people. These include the royal decree that restricts the flavors available in these devices to tobacco flavor and reinforces labeling obligations.

The norm also tightens the protection of minors by prohibiting not only the sale of these products, but also their consumption, a behavior that may be sanctioned with fines whose responsibility will fall on the parents or guardians.