House of lords calls on Hancock to clarify Brexit medicines access

The government is being asked to provide clarity on whether it can guarantee access to medicines and medical products in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.

A letter penned by the House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee calls on health secretary Matt Hancock to alleviate concerns over Brexit, including whether clinical trials conducted in the UK will be accepted by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).  

More so, the letter asks Hancock to confirm if Public Health England is planning to stockpile vaccines and other products for urgent public use, and if there is a list of products other than vaccines that may need to be stockpiled.

It also requests confirmation on when the government will contact suppliers of medicines and medical products to provide notice and guidance on rerouting supplies, and if there is more detail on UK/EU agreements to continue organ exchange after 29 March.

Lastly, the committee asks Hancock to provide the cost of flying in medical products for a six-week period.

In December it was revealed that the government had arranged for a dedicated NHS aeroplane to charter in medicines in the event of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit. The letter states that withholding the costs prevents the committee from fulfilling its democratic obligation to scrutinise the government