May on Brexit: UK Should Remain Part of EMA
Speaking on Friday in London, UK Prime Minister Theresa May called for exploring the terms by which the UK could leave the EU but remain part of some EU agencies, including the European Medicines Agency (EMA).“Membership of the European Medicines Agency would mean investment in new innovative medicines continuing in the UK, and it would mean these medicines getting to patients faster as firms prioritize larger markets when they start the lengthy process of seeking authorizations,” May said, according to the text of her speech at Mansion House.
“But it would also be good for the EU because the UK regulator assesses more new medicines than any other member state,” she added. “And the EU would continue to access the expertise of the UK’s world-leading universities.”
The comments follow the EMA’s finalization this week of plans to move its headquarters and employees from London to Amsterdam by November 2019. The agency also has been releasing guidance explaining what UK-based drugmakers will need to do to remain in the EU market as of next March.
But the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has also sought to reassure drugmakers that there will be no sudden changes to the country's regulatory framework when it leaves the EU in March 2019.
Here's a look at various Brexit scenarios that will likely play out between now and next March.