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Statement on Northern Ireland Protocol

Mark Samuels, Chief Executive of the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA), said: "For some time now, our industry has flagged the serious implications of the Northern Ireland Protocol regarding medicines. Its implementation would have had a potentially critical impact on the ability of patients in Northern Ireland to access the medicines they need, when they need them. We are encouraged that both the European Union and the UK Government have heard our warnings and put a solution for medicines at the heart of their discussions. The proposal announced by the EU today appears to go a long way to addressing the significant concerns we had about supply to the region. We welcome the news that all regulatory functions of pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines from Great Britain to Northern Ireland can remain in the UK, while no additional batch testing, manufacturing and license authorisation or separate packaging is required. We await the precise details of the EU proposal but believe that potential progress is being made."