Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK remains a world leader for the treatment of rare diseases after the UK leaves the EU.

The Government is committed to the safe and effective regulation of medicines in the United Kingdom; ensuring patients and the public have fast access to new, innovative medicines, including medicines for rare diseases.

The agreement of an implementation period will ensure that access to medicines continues, and patient safety is maintained, in both the UK and European Union markets. Beyond that, the Political Declaration sets out a plan for a free trade area for goods, underpinned by deep regulatory co-operation, as well as a joint commitment to explore close cooperation with the European Medicines Agency.

The Government also continues to prepare for the unlikely outcome that we leave the EU without any deal in March 2019. The Department has been engaging with all pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with pharmacy or prescription-only medicines from, or via, the EU/European Economic Area, on their contingency plans in the event of a no deal EU Exit.

Whatever the exit scenario, we will work to ensure that the UK will remain a world leader for the treatment of rare diseases after the UK leaves the EU, that UK patients are able to access the best and most innovative medicines including medicines for rare diseases and that their safety is protected. The UK life sciences industry has much to offer in creating, developing, trialing and commercialising medicines that will benefit UK patients and strengthen the ability of the UK to compete internationally.