British Parliament voted to keep UK in EMA after Brexit

On July 17, The UK Parliament voted in favor of continuing the UK’s involvement with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) after the island leaves the EU.

The vote means Parliament will make it a negotiating objective for the UK government to seek the UK’s participation in the European medicines regulatory network, according to the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA).

In a joint statement on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry in the UK, Mike Thompson, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), and Steve Bates, chief executive of the BioIndustry Association (BIA), said:

“Today, Parliament has sent a clear message that patients and public health should be a top priority for the Government in these negotiations. Every month, 37 million packs of medicine arrive in the UK from the EU and 45 million move the other way. Therefore, it is essential that the UK continues to participate in the EMA after Brexit, as set out in the Brexit White Paper and in the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech.”

The ABPI represents innovative resea​rch-based biopharmaceutical companies, large, medium and small, leading an exciting new era of biosciences in the UK. The BIA is the trade association for innovative life sciences in the UK.

The Drug Safety Research Unit (DSRU), an independent academic unit, also welcomed the UK’s decision, noting the government confirmed that it would make an “appropriate financial contribution” in return for participation.

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