12 November 2016 - The latest warning of the negative outcomes of Brexit on the UK's life sciences sector (medicines, therapies, and biotechnologies) came from a report published last week by the UK think tank, Public Policy Projects. 

The report highlights the challenges from a regulatory, funding, and patient access to new medicines perspective under different Brexit scenarios.

The authors conclude that if the UK were to sever ties with Europe fully—ie, fragmentation of the current centralised regulatory and authorisation structures (the European Medicines Authority [EMA] and the Medical and Healthcare Regulatory Agency)—and restrict free movement of the sector's talented European Union (EU) workforce, the UK will no longer be an attractive place to do business. Labelled as the “hard” Brexit option, this situation could mean patients face long delays in accessing new innovative medicines. The report favours the “soft” Brexit option in line with a Swiss model where a close relationship would exist between the UK and EMA, with continued access to the single market and EU workforce.

Read The Lancet editorial