Another EFPIA warning on Brexit implications for pharma

Just head of UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision was announced to postpone the parliamentary vote on the Brexit withdrawal declaration that was due on Tuesday, the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA) today issued another warning about the implications for the pharma industry.

EFPIA director general Nathalie Moll said: “While for most sectors the issues are primarily economic, for the healthcare sector the primary concerns are patient safety and public health. A disorderly exit from the European Union by the UK has very real and tangible consequences for patient safety and public health in both the UK and across Europe. We hope that politicians in the UK take this into consideration during tomorrow’s vote.”

The scale of the task should not be underestimated; around 45 million packs of medicines leave the UK destined for patients in Europe every month with 37 million packs heading the opposite way, she pointed out. In total that is around 1 billion packs of medicine crossing the border between the UK and the EU each year. Given the uncertainty around the process of voting on the withdrawal deal and the terms of the UK’s future relationship with the EU, our industry has invested heavily in ensuring that companies are prepared for every eventuality.