The United Kingdom (UK) has issued a position paper on ensuring a smooth economic transition from the European Union (EU) in relationship to the availability of goods, including pharmaceuticals.
The United Kingdom (UK) has issued a position paper on ensuring a smooth economic transition from the European Union (EU) in relationship to the availability of goods, including pharmaceuticals.
The paper outlines the UK’s 4 guiding principles that it will bring into its Brexit negotiations:
UK pharmaceutical trade groups praised the government’s proposals; CEO of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, Virginia Acha, DPhil, said, “We welcome this paper’s pragmatic approach, which provides a constructive starting point for arrangements that aim to minimize disruption to vital safety and monitoring processes for medicines and avoid any negative impact to medicines supply. As soon as the negotiations resume, we urge the EU and UK to discuss this issue with Europe’s patients front of mind.”
As the Brexit deadline of March 2019 draws close, trade groups are also lobbying for the UK to make new investments in pharmaceuticals in order to decrease the UK’s dependency on foreign markets. The Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership has issued a report stating that, because the UK relies on imports for many components of its pharmaceuticals, “we are less self-sufficient and more vulnerable to supply shortages, and we ultimately lose high-value jobs and manufacturing know-how and skills.”
The report calls for the establishment of national “Centres of Excellence” that would develop manufacturing capabilities to ensure the supply of drugs, create an open-access facility with the capacity to manufacture patient-ready medicines, develop packaging and delivery-device technology, and support innovative manufacturing of advanced therapies. These initiatives are estimated to cost the UK government £140 million (approximately $179.5 million).
The report’s authors say that the development of the UK’s pharmaceuticals industry “can only happen if the various stakeholders work together and have a clear end goal, which has to be driven through by anchoring the UK as the country for all medicines innovation and manufacturing investment.”
Exploring the Biosimilar Horizon: Julie Reed's Predictions for 2024
February 18th 2024On this episode of Not So Different, Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, returns to discuss her predictions for the biosimilar industry for 2024 and beyond as well as the impact that the Forum's 4 new members will have on the organization's mission.
Dr Sophia Humphreys Provides Calls to Action to Ensure Biosimilar Market Sustainability
April 30th 2024During her presentation during Festival of Biologics USA, Sophia Humphreys, PharmD, director of formulary management at Sutter Health, gave an overview of current challenges and opportunities for the biosimilar market and offered calls to action for multiple stakeholders.
A New Chapter: How 2023 Will Shape the US Biosimilar Space for 2024 and Beyond
December 31st 2023On this episode of Not So Different, Cencora's Brian Biehn and Corey Ford take a look back at major policy and regulatory advancements in 2023 and how these changes will alter the space going forward.
Eye on Pharma: EU Ustekinumab Approval; New Golimumab Data; Evernorth Adds Humira Biosimilar
April 29th 2024The European Union gained a new ustekinumab biosimilar; Alvotech released positive results from a clinical trial evaluating a golimumab biosimilar and the reference products (Simponi and Simponi Aria), and Evernorth announced that it is set to cover an adalimumab biosimilar at zero cost to patients.