Whelehans Pharmacy: Brexit and its implications on medicine supply
Brexit and its implications on medicine supply
(Part 1)
Eamonn Brady is a pharmacist and the owner of Whelehans Pharmacies, Pearse St and Clonmore, Mullingar. If you have any health questions e-mail them to info@whelehans.ie
Nobody has a crystal ball regarding Brexit and what, when, how (and if) it will occur. Thankfully the EU are on Ireland’s side in insisting that a “hard border” on the island of Ireland is not acceptable, but ironically this is the very issue may be the stumbling block that may cause a “No deal Brexit” which could result in a hard border. As Teresa May and her Government stumble from crisis while the EU can’t be seen to give Britain major concessions due to risk of contagion (i.e. encouraging other EU countries to leave if Britain get a good deal), Britain’s withdrawal from the EU remains in a state of flux. As I write this (Feb 26th) it looks like Teresa May could extend the Brexit date from March 29th to later in the year while Jeremy Corbyn of Labour party this week announced his party supports a second referendum. While the likelihood of a “Hard Brexit” appears less likely this week (compared to last week), it is still a major risk. This article explains preparations made by Irish Government through the Department of Health and the HPRA (Health Products Regulatory Authority which is the body responsible for medicine supply in Ireland) as well as other stakeholders like medicine manufacturers and pharmacies to reduce the risk of medicine shortages in the case of a no deal Brexit. The good news relating to medication supply is that in the case of a “No Deal” or so called “Hard Brexit”, there are contingency plans in place to keep disruption to medicine supply to a minimum.
Brexit plans in relation to medicine supply in Ireland
Pharmacists have sought and received assurances that everything that can be done is being done to anticipate, plan for, and mitigate against any potential problems that may arise, and to develop solutions to protect medicine supplies to Irish pharmacies and patients, with a focus on the supply of those that have been identified as critical medicines.
As part of a whole-of-Government response to Brexit, the Minister for Health has outlined a comprehensive set of preparations to ensure continuity of health services and supply of medical products in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. This work involves the Department of Health, the HSE, the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) and other agencies engaging in intensive Brexit preparedness and contingency planning
Brexit Contingency and Preparedness Plan
On January 15th, the Government released an update on their Brexit Contingency and Preparedness Plan. This covered all aspects of areas that will or may be impacted by Brexit including finance and taxes, transport, agriculture, health etc. As medicines supply is critical to the health of the nation, there is very detailed plans to minimise disruption. To summarise the Governments plans on protection of the medicine supply chain, they state “There are approximately 4,000 medicines marketed in Ireland, of which 60-70% come from, or transit through, the UK. The HSE and HPRA have advised that the supply of a small number of these products may be vulnerable for reasons such as their short shelf life, special storage and transportation requirements, and single supplier reliance. The HSE and HPRA are progressing contingency plans...and where necessary, identifying clinically appropriate alternatives to these small number of vulnerable products.”.
Next week I will continue this topic.
Thanks to the IPU, HPRA and Department of Health for the information needed to prepare this article
For health advice and information call in to Whelehans Pharmacies, log on to www.whelehans.ie or dial 04493 34591 (Pearse St) or 04493 10266 (Clonmore).