Nuffield Trust response to Windsor Framework on Northern Ireland

Responding to The Windsor Framework: a new way forward agreed between the UK and EU, Nuffield Trust Brexit Programme Lead Mark Dayan said: 

“For over two years there has been real fear and concern about whether Northern Ireland will still be able to access the 80% of its medicines for which it relies on supplies from Great Britain. In 2021, the risk of a wave of shortages was very real. If it is accepted, this agreement together with earlier EU actions would resolve nearly every single source of concern. Approvals, testing, packaging and security will all be valid on both sides of the sea without extra checks. The confusion of delayed requirements and the idea of pharmacists dealing with multiple regulatory systems would no longer be needed.

“The downside is that Northern Ireland will no longer have access to medicines approved by the European Union. Recently, as part of our Health and International Relations Monitor project, funded by the Health Foundation, we’ve seen evidence that the UK tends to approve innovative new products more slowly: some cutting edge or cheaper products for cancer and autoimmune diseases may in future be available in the Republic of Ireland, but not Northern Ireland.”