European Health & Pharmaceutical Law Review: First Assessment of the SoHO Proposal for a New Legislation on Blood, Tissues and Cells (The SoHO Regulation)

Contacts

marc martens Module
Marc Martens

Partner
Belgium

As co-head of our International Life Sciences & Healthcare group and head of Bird & Bird's Regulatory, Public & Administrative Law group in Brussels, I provide cutting edge strategic and regulatory advice to our life sciences clients and represent them in litigation.

Co-head of the International Life Sciences group Marc Martens and associate Lora Arifagic have recently been published in the European Health & Pharmaceutical Law Review.

Their article provides an overview of the proposed Regulation on the safety and quality of substances of human origin (SoHO) and its potential impact on the blood, tissues and cells (BTC) industry. The article highlights the challenges presented by the SoHO proposal, including legal uncertainty, the challenging interplay of the proposal with adjacent legislative frameworks, potential increased divergences between Member States, and concerns about transparency of SoHO preparation authorization dossiers and allocation of SoHOs. Although the SoHO proposal truly attempts to comprehend the needs of both patients and other actors in the SoHO industry, the article outlines several critical remarks and shortcomings which should be addressed to anticipate future challenges in the sector.

Read the full article here.


Latest insights

More Insights
Curiosity line blue background

A Merry and Mitigated Christmas Across Borders

Dec 12 2025

Read More
featured image

EU Institutions Reach Political Agreement on New Foreign Direct Investment Screening Regulation

3 minutes Dec 11 2025

Read More
featured image

Skinny labels ≠ safe harbor: evolving liability for second medical use patents in Germany

6 minutes Dec 02 2025

Read More