Concerns have been raised over the government’s contingency plans for whether the UK can ensure a suitable supply of medicines in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
Brexit
A letter sent by the House of Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee to health and social care secretary Matt Hancock, asks for clarity on how the UK plans to cope with a potential ‘no deal’ scenario.
The letter follows an evidence session the Committee held with witnesses from Nuffield Trust, British Association of European Pharmaceutical Distributors and evidence given by officials from DHSC during a private briefing.
In particular, the Committee asked Hancock what considerations have been taken into the expense of flying into medical supplies for a six-week period. The letter also asks for clarification on the work undertaken to ensure that medicines can be imported and that medical products will be a priority at the border in a no deal scenario.
In preparation for potential border delays, current guidance from the government is for pharmaceutical firms to stockpile six weeks’ worth of medicines. However, certain medicines, such as those with short shelf lives cannot be stockpiled and would have to be flown in.
The Committee received evidence suggesting that a no deal Brexit may limit the availability of medicines and that there was little sign of any border delays being addressed.
On border delays, one witness to the Committee said that there was little sign of any potential delays being addressed. Indeed, findings from the National Audit Office state that “contingency operations” might start from January or February 2019, including escalating plans for the “priority delivery of vital supplies such as food and medicine”.
The letter does welcome the government’s series of technical notices for contingency planning - which attempt to address how disruptions will be minimised – but asks for clarification on if extensive planning will be enough to remove all risk of disruption to supply of medicines in the UK.
The Committee also asks for answers on other issues regarding the supply of medicines and medical products within the UK, including:
- How confident are you that the contingency measures deployed as an immediate response to secure the supply of medicines and medical products can be sustained beyond the first six weeks after Brexit, should this be required?
- Can you provide more detail on the tender for additional storage capacity, including: the amount of funding awarded; the size of the storage obtained; and how much of that is for refrigerated storage.
- What plans has the Government made to secure and prioritise airborne routes for medical products?
- What are the Government’s plans to encourage drug companies to prioritise introducing new products to market in the UK?