Reuters said brexit may trigger changes in the EU and UK drug regulatory systems

Source: Ding Xiangyuan's vote to leave the EU on June 27, 2016 brought many uncertainties to the regulation of pharmaceutical companies The European Drug Administration (EMA), headquartered in London, is expected to relocate the agency that approved drugs from all EU countries The European drug administration, the equivalent of the U.S Food and drug administration, will need to move to cities within the European Union, while also posing challenges to business management, the German Pharmaceutical Industry Association said Thursday GlaxoSmithKline, the UK's largest pharmaceutical company, said the vote "brings uncertainty and potential complexity to our future development" Although the impact on its global business will be small, the UK Pharmaceutical Industry Association warned that future investment, research and employment are challenging Executives worry that brexit could disrupt the current EU drug approval process for EMA, while the UK could develop its own domestic regulatory system, further disrupting it Although the UK can remain in the EEA as Norway does, and retain the EMA review system, many supporters of brexit oppose this option As a result, patients in the UK may lag behind in their access to new drugs, as companies tend to have a larger European market and some drugs may not be available because they are not regulated EMA, headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, is the largest EU institution in the UK with more than 600 full-time employees The agency has been responsible for drug approval throughout Europe since 1995 An EMA spokesman said it was premature to comment on the future "It's too early to see the impact of the brexit decision at this stage, and we are waiting for further guidance from the European Commission," she said Pharmaceutical companies and pharmaceutical sector officials in Sweden, Denmark, Italy and Germany have all said they would like EMA to move its headquarters from London to their home countries, as companies in these countries want to be as close as possible to major regulators The impact of brexit on export profits will be limited, as the US remains the largest prescription drug market for many global drug manufacturers to date, and the Asian market is increasingly important GlaxoSmithKline said it did not expect to have a material impact on its business, and analysts expect the company to enjoy a profit boost in the short term due to the fall of the pound as overseas revenue is converted to the pound AstraZeneca, which reports results in US dollars, and Roche, a Swiss competitor, will not benefit from this monetary factor, but both say they will continue to support the UK life sciences industry after the referendum, which is crucial The UK pharmaceutical industry employs more than 70000 people and accounts for 25% of the country's R & D spending Many scientists worry that funding for academic research, well supported by the European Union in recent decades, will now be reduced, as will important research cooperation between Britain and Europe "Now that we have decided to leave the EU, it is crucial for the government to have a clear plan to safeguard the future of science and research in the UK," said Robert leclerian, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences "