153% increase in UK medicine recalls

8 June 2023

The number of medicines recalled by manufacturers due to defects has increased 153% in the UK since 2017, according to new figures from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with relaxed regulations during Covid one possible factor behind the increase.

Official data from the MHRA show that while there were 68 medicines recalled in the UK between January 1, 2014 and January 1, 2017, the numbers rose dramatically between the start of January 2020 and January 2023 to 172 medicine recalls.

Life Sciences lawyers at Arnold & Porter (London) said there were a number of factors that could be fuelling the increase, but that changes to regulations during the Covid years might have contributed.

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