Industry backs findings of new Health and Social Care Committee report into Brexit

Responding to a new House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee report ‘Brexit – Medicines, Medical Devices and Substances of Human Origin’, the trade associations representing the UK's pharmaceutical and biotech industries have issued a joint response backing the Committee's recommendations.

Publishing the report, the Committee said "negotiators on both sides must heed the call of industry and patient groups in securing the closest possible regulatory alignment in the next round of Brexit talks", highlighting that the "supply chain of pharmaceuticals, from research and development through to the product being available on a pharmacy shelf, would be adversely affected by regulatory divergence."

Other recommendations called for by the Committee include:

  • continued UK participation in Europe-wide clinical trials and adoption of the new EU clinical trials regulations
  • continued UK membership of all of the major EU pharmacovigilance systems and databases
  • the negotiation of "free and frictionless trade" with the EU
  • a Government assessment of the impact of the loss of parallel imports

Issuing a joint response, Mike Thompson, ABPI CEO and Steve Bates, CEO of the BioIndustry Association (BIA), commented:
"This thoughtful Select Committee report makes a compelling case to Brexit negotiators why public health and patient safety must be prioritised in Brexit talks.

"For medicines the detail of Brexit matters. To ensure uninterrupted continued supply we need rapid clarity on the legal position of medicines during the transition period from the EU and UK. In addition, we need progress from both sides on how the desired close co-operation for the future will work in practice."

Ends                     

Notes to editors:

Contact:

Ed Sexton, Communications and Media Relations Manager, BIA

[email protected]

02076302196

About the BIA                    

Established over 25 years ago at the infancy of biotechnology, the BioIndustry Association (BIA) is the trade association for innovative enterprises involved in UK bioscience. Members include emerging and more established bioscience companies; pharmaceutical companies; academic, research and philanthropic organisations; and service providers to the bioscience sector. The BIA represents the interests of its members to a broad section of stakeholders, from government and regulators to patient groups and the media. Our goal is to secure the UK's position as a global hub and as the best location for innovative research and commercialisation, enabling our world-leading research base to deliver healthcare solutions that can truly make a difference to people's lives.   

For further information, please go to www.bioindustry.org and twitter.com/BIA_UK