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Cyber attack disrupts Spanish medicine distribution

One of Spain's leading wholesale pharmaceutical distributors has suffered a cyber attack that has delayed the delivery of medicines to pharmacies.

Published: 23 March 2023 11:31 CET
Cyber attack disrupts Spanish medicine distribution
Photo: CESAR MANSO/AFP

A cyberattack on a leading pharmaceutical supply company has disrupted the distribution of medicines to Spanish pharmacies. 

The attack, which started last Friday and is still ongoing, has affected wholesale supplier Alliance Healthcare’s servers and delayed and even prevented the normal delivery of some medicines to pharmacies in Spain, according to Spanish daily El País. Alliance Healthcare is the fourth biggest supplier in Spain. 

In a statement to El País, the company said it was suffering an ongoing “computer system interruption” and that “it is working quickly to solve the interruption.”

As a result, some pharmacists have been unable to use the online system. “They have the servers blocked and the whole company is blocked,” Antoni Torres, President of the Catalonia Federation of Associations of Pharmacies, told 20minutos.

This comes just two weeks after a cyber attack affected Hospital Clínic in Barcelona. Alliance Healthcare’s business presence is greater in Catalonia than in other parts of Spain, where it makes up around a quarter of the market as opposed to 10 percent across the rest of the country, meaning the supply issues have been felt more severely in the north-eastern region.

Fortunately, as Alliance is a wholesale supplier, though deliveries have been disrupted, this does not mean customers have been unable to get their hands on medicine as other suppliers can step in to fill the void, though there have been some delays.

Pharmaceutical industry sources confirmed that the cyber attack “has plunged the sector into a kind of chaos in recent days,” but added that it “has not affected patients in a very important way, except in some cases in which the arrival of necessary drugs may have taken longer”. 

No data leak

Fortunately, the cyber attack does not mean that customer or patient data is at risk. Sources confirmed to El País that “this type of [personal customer] information does not reach wholesalers”. 

“Our data is purely commercial, such as orders and billing between us and the pharmacy offices. Wholesalers do not have patient data,” the source added.

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HEALTH

EXPLAINED: The three new reasons you can now take sick leave in Spain

As of this Thursday, June 1st, those in Spain who suffer from debilitating menstruation problems as well as other sexual and reproductive issues will be able to request paid leave from work. Here are the three main reasons you can now get sick leave.

Published: 1 June 2023 11:15 CEST
EXPLAINED: The three new reasons you can now take sick leave in Spain

Spain has become the first country in Europe to grant menstrual leave, a measure included in its new sexual and reproductive health law that it pre-approved back in August 2022, but has only now come into force.

Under the new law, there are three new sexual and reproductive reasons women can take sick leave from work.

It is covered by the Organic Law 1/2023, of February 28th, which modifies the previous law on sexual and reproductive health and the voluntary interruption of pregnancy.

Unfortunately, women who take this leave will not be granted full pay but will receive the same as for common illnesses, which is 60 percent of the regulatory base. The leave will be paid for by Social Security, as long as it’s approved by a doctor and is considered necessary. 

READ ALSO – KEY POINTS: Spain’s new sexual and reproductive health law

The right applies “to all people who are in Spain, regardless of their nationality” the law states, and “will be applicable to trans people with the capacity to gestate”. In other words, it also applies to menstruating trans men.

Menstrual leave

Every woman at some time or another has more than likely experienced a painful period, but for some it’s so bad that they’re throwing up and doubled over in pain, unable to even function, let alone go to work. The medical term for this pain is dysmenorrhea and it can be caused by certain issues such as endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, fibroids or even a unicornuate uterus, among others.  

Those who suffer from these conditions can request two days of sick leave during their periods, however, it can be extended up to five if your doctor deems it necessary. 

Pregnancy termination

Those who suffer a miscarriage or voluntarily opt for an abortion and terminate their pregnancy can also request leave under the new law, provided they have received assistance from the Public Health Service and are unable to work.  

If the interruption of the pregnancy is due to an accident at work or an occupational hazard, it will be considered a “situation of temporary disability due to professional contingencies”.

Pregnancy leave 

The new law also covers sick leave for pregnant women who may have issues during their pregnancy. For high-risk pregnancies, they may need to go on bed rest or need extra hospital visits.  

From 39 weeks pregnant women will also be able to take time off work for any reason and do not have to justify it to their employer.

Your company is responsible for paying you on the first day of leave, but any subsequent days are to be paid for by Social Security.  

Spain is the first country to offer menstrual leave in Europe. It is currently only offered by a few countries in the world including Japan, Indonesia and Zambia.

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