Trade groups set out pharma priorities to EU Commission President for EU-UK Brexit negotiations

The major European pharma trade groups have written to the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and other officials, to prioritize health and patients’ access to medicines in the EU-UK Brexit negotiations, and shield them from larger political considerations.

They say they are extremely concerned about the lack of progress with only six months until the end of the Transition Period, which could lead to a failure to reach a negotiated outcome on the future EU-UK relationship. In addition to Brexit, COVID-19 has underlined the importance of global medicine supply chains, and the industry has undertaken a sustained global effort to ensure continued access to medicines for patients throughout the crisis.

Signed, among others, by European Federation of Pharmaceutical industries and Associations (EFPIA) director general Nathalie Moll, and Adrian Van den Hoven, director general of Medicines for Europe, the letter says: