British Ministers Call for Post-Brexit Cooperation With EMA

UK health minister Jeremy Hunt and business minister Greg Clark on Monday wrote a letter to the Financial Times calling for the UK to continue working with the European Medicines Agency after Brexit.

According to the Times, the letter said: "we want deep, broad and dynamic co-operation, and in this context the UK would like to find a way to continue to collaborate with the EU, in the interests of public health and safety."

The move was widely praised by UK industry groups and follows the UK government’s EU External Affairs Subcommittee in March noting that there may be "significant benefits” in continuing UK participation in the EMA.

But even if the UK negotiates a system whereby they can continue to work with EMA, the UK will lose the benefit of hosting EMA’s headquarters to another European city. Next November, EU member states will vote on where EMA will relocate from London.

The EMA and European Commission have also released guidance to prepare industry for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.