Dr June Raine has been appointed as the Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) new Chief Executive,
having been the interim CEO since 2019.
Dr Raine played a crucial part in setting up rolling reviews
during the pandemic to ensure the UK was the first in the world
to authorise the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford
University/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines.
Dr Raine’s work has helped improve patient safety and patient
engagement and has helped establish the UK as a world-leading
destination for life sciences and the development of new and
cutting-edge innovation in medicines and medical devices.
Health Minister said:
It is thanks to Dr Raine’s strong leadership during the
pandemic that the UK was the first country in the world to
authorise COVID-19 vaccines.
The MHRA
is widely regarded as one of the best regulators in the world
with the highest standards of safety and I’m delighted to
confirm Dr Raine’s appointment as CEO.
I’m confident Dr Raine will build on MHRA’s
success during the pandemic to make sure NHS patients are among
the first to receive cutting-edge treatments in the future.
Before becoming interim CEO, Dr Raine was Director of Vigilance
and Risk Management of Medicines and has worked for MHRA
and its predecessor organisations since 1985.
Dr Raine qualified in medicine at the University of Oxford and
undertook postgraduate research leading to an MSc in
pharmacology.
After several general medical posts, she joined the then
Medicines Division of the Department of Health, and has worked in
several licensing and patient safety areas including widening the
Yellow Card Scheme for patients and the public.
