Will medicines supply be priority in next round of Brexit negotiations?
Pharma leaders have warned of possible medicines shortages and public health crises if Brexit negotiators fail to get legal and regulatory changes right in the next round of talks.
A joint report from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and the BioIndustry Association (BIA) says that in the event of Europe and the UK no longer co-operating as they do now on medicines and public health, key findings (produced by OHE Consulting) show:
- sharing of important drug safety information or information relating to adverse medical events in the EU27/European economic area (EEA) and the UK could face a five month delay
- management of large-scale public health concerns or crises could be at risk
- there is a potential for increased frequency of medicines shortages due to administrative burden, customs delays and tariff measures
The report came out shortly after the Prime Minister Theresa May returned from Brussels having concluded phase one of Brexit negotiations, in which rights of EU citizens living and working in the UK were agreed.
BIA chief executive Steve Bates this week appeared before the House of Commons Health Select Committee.
‘The complex issues surrounding medicines regulation and supply chain need to be front and centre in the second phase of talks,’ he told the Committee’s MPs.
‘And industry needs a realistic transition period to ensure that the supply of lifesaving and life extending medicines to patients in the UK and across Europe is not affected.
Further information
ABPI: Pharmaceutical industry welcomes breakthrough on ‘sufficient progress’ in Brexit negotiations
OHE Consulting: Public Health and Economic Implications of the United Kingdom Exiting the EU and the Single Market
Parliament: Brexit: the regulation of medicines, medical devices and substances of human origin
Parliament: Brexit and the implications for UK business: Pharmaceuticals inquiry
Website: BIA