UK leaves the EU: pharma sector reacts

The UK has voted to leave the European Union. We gauge the reaction from the pharma sector around the world

The big question is over the European Medicines Agency. It’s likely that EU countries will now begin bidding to house the body, which currently operates from London.

In fact, according to Politico, Italy, Sweden and Denmark have all made noises to take on the EMA.

Whilst the magazine points out that no decision will be made for two years, individuals took to Twitter to voice their concerns.

Others were left wondering as to the future location of the EMA.

The BioIndustry Association responded to the news of Britain’s departure from the EU, warning that the life science sector would be ‘in flux’ as a result of the vote.

BIA CEO Steve Bates said:

“This is not the outcome that the BIA wanted but we accept the views of the UK people.

“The life sciences sector is a resilient community, unfazed by new challenges and staffed by great management teams used to working in a global environment.

“The fundamentals of UK bioscience remain strong.

“In terms of potential new therapies in the pipeline, the UK is by far the strongest in Europe.

“But several key issues for our sector are now in flux.

Key questions about the regulation of medicine, access to the single market and talent, intellectual property and the precise nature of the future relationship of the UK with Europe are now upon us.

“This will require detailed and dispassionate thinking and the BIA will make its and its members’ expertise available to the government and its key agencies in the coming weeks and months as we work through these complex issues.

“The BIA remains committed to making the UK the third global cluster for life sciences and we will work closely with government and relevant agencies to see how this ambition can be delivered in the new political context we now find ourselves in as a country.”