Top Brexit negotiators are due in Northern Ireland amid protocol worries over medicines

That is according to the chair of the Stormont health committee Colm Gildernew, who was speaking after Health Minister Robin Swann expressed “deep concerns about the risk to patient health and maintaining vital medical supplies” if pharmaceutical firms go ahead with plans to withdraw medicines.

Mr Swann sounded the alarm in a briefing paper circulated among ministers and senior officials.

Mr Swann, a UUP MLA, is calling for other parties in the Executive to back calls for medicines to be withdrawn from the scope of the protocol.

The call has been met with a mixed response.

The DUP’s health spokesperson Jonathan Buckley said “tinkering at the edges of the protocol will not work” and stressed that “the Irish Sea border must be removed” to solve the problem.

Sinn Fein MLA Mr Gildernew said “all solutions need to be kept on the table”.

Alliance health spokesperson Paula Bradshaw, meanwhile, didn’t state clearly whether her party is backing the position adopted by Mr Swann but stressed that medicines travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland “do not represent a risk to the integrity of the EU Internal Market”.

Mr Gildernew, meanwhile, said EU negotiator Maros Sefcovic is expected in Northern Ireland next week to discuss the issue.

He told the BBC: “I am also aware that Maros Sefcovic will be here next week to discuss issues arising from this. We will be meeting with all the Executive parties and with the First and Deputy First Ministers.”

He added: “The British negotiator David Frost is also coming, and I think those conversations are important.”

Most of Northern Ireland’s medicines come from Great Britain. The Northern Ireland protocol, however, means pharmaceutical products in Northern Ireland must adhere to EU rather than UK rules, placing a burden on companies shipping medicines from Great Britain.

In July, the British Generic Manufacturers Association warned that more than 2,000 medicines are set to be withdrawn due to the difficulties.

A grace period allowing the import of medicines to proceed unhindered is due to expire in January.

l Morning View, page 10

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