UK PM taken to 'Tusk' over EMA affiliation comments

Days after the Prime Minister Theresa May brought some cheer to Brexit-fearing pharma companies with a presence in the UK by saying that her government favored remaining part of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) after formally leaving the European Union (EU), that hope has been dented by the EU.

European Council President Donald Tusk has put together draft negotiating guidelines ahead of the next stage of Brexit talks, a copy of which has been  obtained by the political journalism site Politico.

The guidelines suggest that the EU is a long way from the UK’s position in a number of areas, but most alarm from a pharma point of view perhaps comes from the following statement: “The Union will preserve its autonomy as regards its decision-making, which excludes participation of the UK as a third-country to EU institutions, agencies or bodies.”