In an article first published by New Law Journal in March 2021, Partner Sarah Moore and Associate Stuart Warmington explore the long-term shape of medicine and medical device regulation in the UK. Among the changes in the pipeline is the creation of a new statutory role, the independent patient safety commissioner, who will work to promote patient safety and ensure that patients’ views are heard.
Into the unknown
On the other side of Brexit and in the midst of a pandemic, the UK’s domestic regulator of medicines and healthcare now stands alone for the first time in almost 40 years. This raises several questions: what might the post-Brexit ‘new world’ look like for product regulation in the UK? Can the UK’s domestic regulator alone keep us safe? And what legal challenges will be created?