Cabinet ministers move to calm drug firms' Brexit fears
Two ministers say the UK would "like to find a way" to keep collaborating after Brexit, amid concerns over medicines regulation.
Tuesday 4 July 2017 15:06, UK
Two top Cabinet ministers have tried to reassure the pharmaceutical industry that the UK will maintain a "close working relationship" with the EU post-Brexit.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Business Secretary Greg Clark said the UK would "like to find a way" to continue to collaborate with Brussels after leaving, amid concerns about the regulation of medicines.
The bloc's European Medicines Agency is currently based in London, but will leave the country after Brexit.
This has created uncertainty for UK-based pharmaceutical firms about the regulatory regime for drugs in the future.
In a joint letter in the Financial Times newspaper, the pair said: "The UK is fully committed to continuing the close working relationship with our European partners.
"Our aim is to ensure that patients in the UK and across the EU continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines and be assured that their safety is protected through the strongest regulatory framework and sharing of data."
The ministers said their three principles for the Brexit process are that "patients should not be disadvantaged; innovators should be able to get their products into the UK market as quickly and simply as possible; and we continue to play a leading role promoting public health".
They added that if Brexit negotiations do not achieve the "desired relationship", the UK will establish a regulatory system that protects patients and "supports the UK life science industry".
The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said the letter indicated ministers were prepared to take a "pragmatic" approach to Brexit.
Chief executive Mike Thompson said "This letter is a welcome recognition that the future of medicines regulation is a key priority for the Government as we negotiate a new relationship with the EU.
"It also signals a readiness to take a pragmatic approach to Brexit negotiations that puts people's health first. This is a great first step and we look forward to seeing more detail in the coming weeks and months.
"If patients in Europe are to continue to get safe and effective medicines in a timely fashion, the focus must be on agreeing regulatory partnership between the UK and the EU.
"The time frames we need to meet to ensure no disruption or delay mean that confirmation of a reciprocal approach from the EU would provide welcome certainty to more than 500 million patients."
Downing Street later indicated that Prime Minister Theresa May gave her blessing to the letter.
Her official spokesman confirmed that the letter was shared with Number 10 "in the usual way" before publication.
They said: "What they set out was that we are committed to the close working relationship we have with our EU partners and beyond that, everything else is a matter for negotiation."