ABPI Responds to National Audit Office Report on Brexit and Medicine Supply

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has issued a response to the recently published report from the National Audit Office (NAO) on the impact Brexit may have on medicines supply.

Published Friday Sep. 27, 2019, the NAO’s report specified that despite the work that has been done to manage the risk to medicines supply, there is still a significant amount left to do to ensure the United Kingdom has a steady flow of supplies for the health and social care sector. Work still to be done includes an improvement in the government’s understanding of how prepared the supplier base is across the country, ensuring there is sufficient freight capacity in place to carry priority foods, and increasing the readiness of the social care sector.

“Pharmaceutical companies have been doing everything in their power to prepare for Brexit, including increasing stocks and planning alternative supply routes where possible. But as the NAO sets out, some things are outside of their control,” said Richard Torbett, executive director of Commercial Policy, ABPI, in a press release. “We have been working closely with government on the contingency plans outlined in this report. Prioritizing medicines on government-secured freight capacity is an important part of these plans. We reiterate the need for companies to get the detail of how to access this capacity as soon as possible. Securing a deal remains the best way to protect patients.”

Sources: NAO, ABPI