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<p>Medical radioisotopes are essential in the effective treatment of many cancer patients
and the Government believes it is vital to ensure consistent and timely access to
these products for United Kingdom patients.</p><p> </p><p>As a responsible Government,
we continue to prepare proportionately for all European Union exit scenarios, including
the possible outcome that we leave the EU without any deal in March 2019. That is
why on 23 August the Government announced details of its approach to no deal EU exit
medicines contingency planning.</p><p> </p><p>Since writing to pharmaceutical companies,
we have received good engagement from the industry who share our aims of ensuring
patients maintain continuity of medicines supply. The Department continues to work
closely with these companies to ensure that their UK supplies of medicines, including
for cancer patients, are sufficient to cope with any potential delays at the border
that may arise in the short term from the possible event of a no-deal Brexit.</p><p>
</p><p>We recognise that medical radioisotopes and some other medicinal products have
short shelf lives and cannot be stockpiled. Where such products are at present imported
to the UK from the EU/European Union Economic Area (EEA) via road haulage and roll-on,
roll-off sea, road and rail routes, the Department is asking suppliers to ensure they
have plans in place to air freight those products to avoid any border delays that
may arise at the end of March next year in the event of a no deal exit from the EU.
We will consider how the Department may support suppliers in making arrangements to
meet this expectation.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has also provided information
to the public and Parliament on the likely impact of the UK’s withdrawal from the
EU and Euratom on the importation of radioisotopes for medical use in the possible
event that the UK leaves the EU without agreement, via a series of Technical Notices.
Within these, the Government confirmed that in order to ensure continuity of supply
in medicines, the UK will continue to accept batch testing of human medicines carried
out in EU countries, other EEA countries and those third countries with which the
EU has a Mutual Recognition Agreement.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>
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