Hard Brexit ‘could hit access to medicines’
Welsh patients could have to wait longer for access to the latest medicines as a result of a hard or “no deal” Brexit, it is claimed.
Experts fear that leaving bodies such as the European Medical Agency and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control will also mean less medical research taking place in the UK.
Similarly, there are concerns the UK will not be privy to the latest information about disease prevention and control.
Plaid Cymru AM Steffan Lewis said: “It’s crucial that we explore ways of maintaining our membership of European medical bodies after Brexit.
“The UK’s current membership of the European Medical Agency means that hundreds of clinical trials are held in the UK every year, including trials into the use of radiotherapy which is currently being carried out in Velindre, and a trial into the use of local anaesthetic by Aneurin Bevan Health Board.
“If we lose access to the EMA and other bodies such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, this would mean that we no longer receive the latest information about disease control, we will have less access to medical trials and research, and that drug companies are less likely to try to register their drugs in the UK when a bigger market exists in the EU.
“We need to consider how we overcome these problems to ensure that patients in Wales will continue have the same access to new medical treatment as they do now.
“This may mean establishing sister organisations affiliated with the EMA and ECDPC so that we can continue to co-operate, and it means that we need to invest in our universities’ research capacity so that we can continue to play a full part in research and development.”
Leading pharmacist Raj Aggarwal said both a hard Brexit or a “no deal” Brexit would impact negatively on the pharmaceutical sector, patient care, community pharmacies and medicines supply.
He said: “The UK pharmaceutical medicines supply chain is already under enormous stress and experiencing drug shortages.
“We could be looking at a worst case scenarios of much more severe drug shortages unless the UK government takes urgent action to have a plan B in place to deal with both a hard and no deal Brexit.”
He said Brexit could also spell disaster for NHS jobs in Wales.
“If EU nationals currently working in the London and the southeast of Engalnd end up leaving following Brexit (any type) then London and the south-east could end up ‘sucking in’ healthcare staff currently working in other parts of the UK – this will have a hugely negative impact on healthcare at all levels in areas such as Wales in particular even though Wales currently is not as dependent on EU nationals in the workforce as London and south-East areas are.”
Dr Rick Greville, Welsh director of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) added: “For everyone in the health sector, maintaining a close co-operative relationship between the UK and the EU; in health research, medicines regulation and safety, and the handling of public health issues, has been, and remains a priority.
“Changes to this would have profound impacts on the NHS, the pharmaceutical industry and to the future health and wellbeing of patients – and are central to our ongoing conversations with devolved, UK and European governments.”