NI Brexit: Supply of medicines to NI fears as end of grace period looms - Health Minister Robin Swann admits he is concerned

Under the terms of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, Northern Ireland and Great Britain are to operate under different regulatory rules for medicines and medical devices.

A one-year grace period delaying the practical consequences of this is due to expire at the end of the year.

Northern Ireland currently secures 98% of its supplies from Great Britain.

Mr Swann told the Assembly’s Health Committee that the EU’s ill-fated attempt to suspend a part of the Northern Ireland Protocol in January amid a dispute over vaccine supplies had impacted efforts to prepare for the end of the grace period.

“It is something that concerns me and that’s why we have been engaged quite significantly in regards to this,” he said.

“The derogation period for medicines was one of the longest that was actually agreed at the start which gave us to the end of this year actually to get things sorted out and in a better place.

“Everyone thought that work was progressing well until the EU triggered Article 16 over vaccines – that unnerved people, that unsettled people and that has, I suppose, increased the level of concern that we’re seeing, especially from the smaller and the more intricate suppliers of medicines and medical devices.”

---

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers — and consequently the revenue we receive — we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.

Subscribe to newsletter.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to the best Northern Ireland and UK news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.

Alistair Bushe

Editor