Brexit, what a show we are putting on for the rest of the world! The British brand is respected all over the world and our medicines and their quality is revered. We are known for our governance and our control and risk mitigation. Our politicians who so skilfully won the hearts of the “Yes” voters, now are nowhere to be seen to lead the way to deliver their promises such as “ More money for the NHS” It is likely that the NHS will be worse off as cost of medicines and equipment may rise and also if European staff in vital roles are not able to stay then we may have to cancel non urgent procedures, research or clinical trials. I do hope not.
The GDP guidelines we follow are Pan European and they took over nineteen years to be issued in 2013 and some countries, such as Italy have not fully implemented them and look to the UK and other European countries to lead the way and to help them implement them fully. So what happens now? Well for now it is business as usual and no change according to the MHRA. But it cannot be because our pound has dropped against the dollar and the Euro, many of our customers buying cost have risen and their selling price has fallen in real terms already and they are having to take action NOW! We lost our first customer today due to their risk assessment of their situation post Brexit, and I am sure they will not be the last. I have instructed all companies, I am a Responsible Person for, to add it to their next Management meeting agenda. The last time the pound fell the wholesalers exported more, which was good for them, but other clients of ours such as Trusts experienced shortages, out of stocks and sharp increases in the cost of some medicines. I urge all medicine exporters to think before exporting any “Hospital only” medicines or medicines for which there are no substitutes and check there is enough stock for the demand in the UK.
Written by Jackie Peck