The British government is asking pharmaceutical companies to stockpile medicines in anticipation of a no-deal Brexit.
In a letter published on Monday 3 August, the Department of Health's commercial manager, Steve Oldfield, highlighted the risks of disruption to supply chains and called upon companies to build up a month and a half's worth of stocks.
“We recognise that global supply chains are under significant pressure, exacerbated by recent events with Covid-19. However, we encourage companies to make stockpiling a key part of contingency plans, and ask industry, where possible, to stockpile to a target level of 6 weeks' total stock on UK soil”, wrote the British official.
He also called on businesses to consider alternative supply routes in the event of disruptions at major UK ports of entry, such as Dover. The re-introduction of customs controls, in the absence of any agreement between the two parties, could indeed cause a bottleneck in supply flows.
According to The Independent newspaper, a June pharmaceutical industry memo stated that original ‘no deal’ stockpiles have been “totally depleted” and may not be able to be replenished until December.
The European Commission did not wish to comment on this announcement. A spokesperson for the institution simply said that “the EU is prepared in terms of public health and in particular regarding the crucial topic of pharmaceuticals and medical devices”.
They also added that: “Pharmaceuticals have been taken into account throughout preparations for the UK's withdrawal from the EU. The safety of medicines shall remain unchanged and Member States and the European Medicines Agency are constantly monitoring the situation and working with the industry in order to ensure the availability of medicines within the EU”.
View the letter from the British government: https://bit.ly/2Dcd3w6 (Sophie Petitjean)