Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on the supply of the Dutch-made medicine Enzalutamide to UK patients of the UK and EU being unable to conclude a free trade agreement by the end of the transition period.

It remains our objective to negotiate a future relationship with the European Union to ensure that patients across the United Kingdom continue to have unfettered access to the medicines and medical products they need at the end of the transition period.

In consultation with the devolved administrations and crown dependencies, we are working with trade bodies, suppliers and the health and care system to implement detailed plans to help ensure the continued supply of medicines and medical products, including Enzalutamide, in all scenarios. In the Department’s letter to industry of 3 August, we asked suppliers to get trader ready, consider alternative routes away from potential disruption and stockpile medicines that come from or via the EU on UK soil to a target level of six weeks where this is possible. The letter is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-to-medicines-and-medical-products-suppliers-3-august-2020/letter-to-medicine-suppliers-3-august-2020