The Government has made significant progress in negotiations with the European Union and remains confident the United Kingdom will leave with a good deal for both sides. This deal will include ensuring patients in the UK have access to appropriate, safe, and cost effective medicines, including short shelf-life medicines.<\/p>
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However, as a responsible Government, we continue to prepare proportionately for all scenarios, including the unlikely outcome that we leave the EU without any deal in March 2019. Therefore on 23 August 2018, the Department wrote to a number of pharmaceutical companies that supply medicines for National Health Service patients from, or via, the EU/European Economic Area (EEA), asking them to ensure that they have a minimum of six weeks additional supply in the UK, over and above their business as usual operational buffer stocks by 29 March 2019.<\/p>
<\/p>
For certain medicines with short shelf lives, which cannot be reasonably stockpiled, we are specifically asking that where these products are imported to the UK from the EU/EEA via road haulage and roll-on, roll-off sea, road and rail routes, suppliers ensure in advance plans to air freight these medicines to the UK. This will ensure that UK patients have the same access to these medicines as they currently do in unlikely event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4067", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Brine"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Winchester"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Brine"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-09-12", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-09-12T16:26:05.047Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-09-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "NHS: Drugs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on patient access to short-shelf life medicines.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4382", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Daniel Zeichner"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Cambridge"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Daniel Zeichner"} ], "uin" : "170342"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/967869", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/967869/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As we set out in the Department\u2019s letter to the pharmaceutical industry on 23 August, in the unlikely event we leave the European Union without a deal in March 2019, based on the current cross-Government planning scenario, we will ensure the United Kingdom has an additional six weeks supply of medicines in case imports from the EU through certain routes are affected. This is the current planning assumption but will of course be subject to revision in light of future developments.<\/p>
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The Government has not asked the NHS to stockpile medicines. It has asked industry to make preparations for doing so.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4095", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Barclay"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North East Cambridgeshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stephen Barclay"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-09-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "170318"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-09-10T16:13:06.517Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-09-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "NHS: Drugs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department received when determining the length of time medicines will need to be stockpiled in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; if he will publish that guidance.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4244", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leicester South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jonathan Ashworth"} ], "uin" : "170317"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/967870", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/967870/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As we set out in the Department\u2019s letter to the pharmaceutical industry on 23 August, in the unlikely event we leave the European Union without a deal in March 2019, based on the current cross-Government planning scenario, we will ensure the United Kingdom has an additional six weeks supply of medicines in case imports from the EU through certain routes are affected. This is the current planning assumption but will of course be subject to revision in light of future developments.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Government has not asked the NHS to stockpile medicines. It has asked industry to make preparations for doing so.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4095", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Barclay"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "North East Cambridgeshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Stephen Barclay"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-09-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "170317"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-09-10T16:13:06.58Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-09-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "NHS: Drugs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the NHS stockpiling medicines for six weeks in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal; and whether that cost will be borne from existing Department of Health budgets.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4244", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leicester South"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jonathan Ashworth"} ], "uin" : "170318"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/947297", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/947297/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
In the most recent 12 month period for which data is available (June 2017 to May 2018) the cost of National Health Service special medicinal products dispensed in the community in England was £70.5 million down from £135.5 million in 2010.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4067", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Brine"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Winchester"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Brine"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-09-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-09-05T10:25:43.15Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-07-24", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "NHS: Drugs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS in England of special medicinal products over the last 12 months.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4385", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Central Ayrshire"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dr Philippa Whitford"} ], "uin" : "167951"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/946902", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Exiting the European Union "} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/946902/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The UK is proposing a UK-EU free trade area, underpinned by a common rulebook. For industrial goods, including medicines, it would cover rules that set requirements for placing a product on the market. It would also feature bespoke provisions for human and animal medicines which reflect their unique status, and would be supplemented by continued UK participation in the European Medicines Agency. We look forward to continuing our negotiations with the EU on this issue.<\/p>
In the unlikely event that it is not possible to reach a mutually satisfactory deal with the EU, the Department of Health and Social Care has already set outs its plans in technical notices to ensure that patients can continue to access medicines, including recognising batch-testing carried out in the EU.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4091", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mr Robin Walker"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Worcester"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mr Robin Walker"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-09-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-09-14T10:01:10.82Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "203"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Exiting the European Union "} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Exiting the European Union "} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-07-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "NHS: Drugs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps he has taken in negotiations on the UK leaving the EU to promote mutual access to medicines and drugs.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1388", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Dodds of Duncairn"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Belfast North"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Nigel Dodds"} ], "uin" : "167159"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/947011", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/947011/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
We have made no such assessment. The supply of special medicinal products is regulated in the United Kingdom by the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. In addition, in England, NHS dispensing by pharmacies is regulated by the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical and Local Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2013.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4067", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Brine"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Winchester"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Brine"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2018-09-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2018-09-04T16:00:47.033Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "17"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Health and Social Care"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2018-07-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "NHS: Drugs"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has undertaken an impact assessment on the potential beneficial effects of regulating the dispensing of special medicinal products in England.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4385", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dr Philippa Whitford"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Central Ayrshire"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Dr Philippa Whitford"} ], "uin" : "167294"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/942655", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department of Health and Social Care"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/942655/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Competitiveness Indicators published by the Office for Life Sciences show that the relative uptake rates of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)-approved medicines have remained broadly stable over the last five years, with an increase in the overall level of uptake in the first year after release being offset by a slight fall in the fourth and fifth years.<\/p>
<\/p>
There are a number of reasons why the levels of uptake may vary including changes in the reported basket of medicines, and country level differences in disease burden and clinical practice.<\/p>
<\/p>
In addition to the Competitiveness Indicators, NHS Digital publishes a report on the use of medicines by the National Health Service in England, known as the Innovation Scorecard. The latest publication from July 2018 shows that 71% of NICE-approved medicines had higher levels of uptake than in the previous 12 months.<\/p>
<\/p>
The Innovation scorecard is available at the following link:<\/p>
<\/p>