The House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee has today
written to MP, Secretary of State for
Health and Social Care (DHSC) asking for clarity on the
Government’s contingency preparations to ensure the UK has
continued access to medicines and medical products in the event
of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
The letter follows an evidence session the Committee held with
witnesses from Nuffield Trust, British Association of European
Pharmaceutical Distributors and evidence given by officials from
DHSC during a private briefing.
The evidence received suggests there is still concern that a no
deal Brexit may limit the availability of medicines and medical
products in the UK and that there was little sign to date of
potential delays on the border being addressed.
The Government’s current guidance is to stockpile six weeks’
worth of medicines and medical products in the event of blockages
at borders, however medicines with short shelf lives cannot be
stockpiled and would have to be flown in.
In the letter the Committee ask the Government what consideration
they have taken ito the expense of flying in medical supplies for
a six week period and what work has been undertaken to ensure the
import of medicines and medical products is treated as a priority
at the border in the event of no deal.
The Committee have also asked for answers in other areas
including:
- How confident are you that the contingency measures deployed
as an immediate response to secure the supply of medicines and
medical products can be sustained beyond the first six weeks
after Brexit, should this be required?
- Can you provide more detail on the tender for additional
storage capacity, including: the amount of funding awarded; the
size of the storage obtained; and how much of that is for
refrigerated storage.
- What plans has the Government made to secure and prioritise
airborne routes for medical products?
- What are the Government’s plans to encourage drug companies
to prioritise introducing new products to market in the UK?
Read the full letter here
