The UK Pharmaceutical Industry Braces for Brexit

As Britain’s departure date from the European Union approaches, drugmakers are preparing for potential changes to regulatory procedures and border controls.

Written byDiana Kwon

| 9 min read

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Next week, leaders of the 28 countries making up the European Union will meet in Brussels to try to hammer out the terms of Britain’s exit from the coalition, or Brexit. It will be one of the last chances to do so before the country departs on March 29, 2019.

Britain stunned the world in June 2016 when a slight but significant majority of voters elected to leave the EU. The decision has left many businesses, including pharmaceutical firms, rushing to prepare for the changes that Brexit will bring. “A vote to leave is the gamble of the century,” David Cameron, then British prime minister, wrote months ahead of the referendum. “And it would be our children’s futures on the table if we were to roll the dice.”

Belonging to the EU means being part of the single market, which allows people, goods, services, and ...

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Meet the Author

Diana Kwon
Diana is a freelance science journalist who covers the life sciences, health, and academic life. She’s a regular contributor to The Scientist and her work has appeared in several other publications, including Scientific American, Knowable, and Quanta. Diana was a former intern at The Scientist and she holds a master’s degree in neuroscience from McGill University. She’s currently based in Berlin, Germany.
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