Patients and the industry worry about the supply of drugs, if no agreement on Brexit

LONDON (Reuters) – Consumers and the pharmaceutical industry are worried about drug supplies if there is no agreement on Britain's departure from the European Union.

While the EU and Britain have agreed on a draft text of a Brexit withdrawal agreement, it is not clear if Premier, Theresa May, can have it approved by Parliament.

The highly regulated drug sector is vulnerable to a Brexit without agreement due to uncertainty over the functioning of supply chains and regulatory oversight, and the UK government has asked companies to establish an additional six weeks of drug stocks.

However, despite government instructions published in August, 70% of consumers still believe that leaving the EU without agreement will have adverse consequences on the supply of drugs, according to a survey released Wednesday by KPMG.

The discovery comes as pharma executives vie for details of securing drug supply in the event of a disorderly exit on March 29, 2019 – in Britain and continental Europe.

More than 2,600 drugs were manufactured at one stage or another in Britain and 45 million patient packs are delivered each month from the UK to other European countries, while an additional 37 million are delivered to the UK. opposite direction, according to industry figures.

Large pharmaceutical companies have already set up storage programs, sometimes accumulating several months of additional supply. Novo Nordisk, a leading insulin manufacturer, for example, will hold a 16-week stock from January, compared with 7 weeks earlier.

But the picture is less clear for small businesses, some of whom may be struggling to finance additional stocks. It is also difficult to build large additional stocks of some specialized drugs with a short shelf life.

The Association of British Pharmaceutical Industries has already warned that some supply problems are inevitable if Britain withdraws from the EU without an agreement – and that the industry continues discussions with government officials on plans to emergency.

One of the specific concerns expressed by two industry executives talking to Reuters is the risk of a sharp drop in the pound sterling, which would increase the financial incentive to export drugs from Great Britain. Brittany via parallel trade.

During its financial crisis, Greece was also faced with a problem of drug aspiration through parallel trade, which led the government in Athens to temporarily ban the export of certain drugs .