ABPI and BIA respond to government white paper on post-Brexit relationship with EU

A joint statement from the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) and the BioIndustry Association (BIA) has been released in response to the publication of a government white paper — ‘The Future Relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union’.

The white paper details the position of the government on what it sees as its future relationship with the EU post-Brexit and contains topics that are pertinent to the pharmaceutical industry, such as manufactured goods, EU agencies and customs arrangements.

Responding, Mike Thompson, chief executive of the ABPI, and Steve Bates, chief executive of the BIA said:

“Every month, 37 million packs of medicine arrive in the UK from the EU, with 45 million moving the other way. For patients, today’s white paper sets out the government’s position on the UK’s future relationship with the EU.

“Our industry’s priority throughout these negotiations is to ensure patients in both the UK and EU can continue to access the medicine and vaccines they need.

“We are pleased to see further detail on the government’s ambition for the UK’s future membership of the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Whilst today’s approach depends on agreement from both sides, continued cooperation between the UK and EU on the regulation of medicines is in the best interests of patient and public health.”