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<p>The Department’s plans to ensure the supply of medicines in the event of the United
Kingdom leaving the European Union without a deal have been subject to scrutiny by
a number of Parliamentary Committees, including the Public Accounts Committee, the
Health and Social Care Committee, the EU Exit Committee and the House of Lords EU
Home Affairs Sub-Committee. The Department is also working closely with suppliers,
their supply chains, health services and devolved administrations to maintain the
continuity of medicines supply in a ‘no deal’ EU exit scenario.</p><p> </p><p>We are
unable to publish the list of medicines requested. To reassure participating companies,
we have committed to treating all information received confidentially, securely and
to using it only for the purposes of the Department’s contingency programme. That
means not introducing information about a specific company, medicine or supply route
into the public domain.</p><p> </p><p>On 23 August 2018, the Department wrote to all
pharmaceutical companies that supply prescription-only and pharmacy medicines to the
UK that come from, or via, the EU or European Economic Area (EEA), asking them to
ensure a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK, over and above existing
business-as-usual buffer stocks, by 29 March 2019. We recognise, however, that certain
medicines with short shelf lives, including medical radioisotopes, cannot be reasonably
stockpiled. Where these medicines are imported from the EU or EEA, we have asked that
suppliers ensure in advance plans to air freight these medicines from the EU in the
event of a ‘no deal’ exit.</p><p> </p><p>Additionally, on 7 December 2018, the Department
wrote to pharmaceutical companies that supply licensed medicines to the UK from or
via the EU/EEA and/or manufacture medicines in the UK, informing them of the updated
reasonable worst-case scenario border disruption planning assumptions and asking them
about their current transportation routes and their ability to re-route their supply
chains if they currently rely on Dover and/or Folkestone.</p><p> </p><p>We have received
very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines
supply for patients is maintained and that suppliers are able to cope with any potential
delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a ‘no deal’
exit.</p>
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