The U.S. FDA and the U.K.’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have agreed to bolster their ongoing medical technology collaboration while also removing tariffs on British medicine exports.
The move is designed to provide a clearer, more predictable process geared toward bringing safer, newer technologies to market faster, the U.K. agency said in an April 1 press release.
Work between the FDA and MHRA is expected to continue in the coming months to identify and assess opportunities for “closer alignment” and to “explore where future mutual recognition mechanisms may be appropriate,” the agency said.
Additionally, the U.S. lifted tariffs for at least the next three years on pharmaceuticals and medical technology imported from the U.K., tariffs that had been imposed by the White House. The two sides will also work toward mutual recognition of medical device approvals, Politico reported.
The U.K. also said it would increase its spending on pharmaceuticals to 0.6% of its GDP by 2035, Politico reported, citing industry data that view the collaboration as a key step toward establishing a timeline to reach that goal.
Related
“The MHRA is a global leader in regulation and this partnership with the US will strengthen this further, providing faster access to safe and innovative medical devices in both our countries,” Lawrence Tallon, MHRA’s chief executive, said in a statement. “By strengthening our working relationship with the FDA, we are allowing cutting edge medical technologies to reach patients faster and more efficiently than ever before.”
The partnership was first announced in December. For its part, the U.K. pharma sector contributed £28.5 billion to the U.K. economy last year and exported nearly £21 billion in drug products globally.
