Drug companies urge close regulatory ties after Brexit

Cooperation between EU and British medical authorities must continue when the UK leaves the EU to maximise patient safety, life sciences companies have said.

Eight European and British life science industry associations wrote an open letter to Michel Barnier and David Davis, the EU and UK chief Brexit negotiators, on 13 July. They said that ongoing cooperation on medicines would be needed to ensure that Brexit has no adverse impacts on public health.

Changes to the trading relationship between the EU and the UK should not be allowed to have negative effects on medical R&D or medicines supply across Europe, the letter said. It warned that a breakdown in customs arrangements “would lead to potential supply disruptions of life-saving medicines”.