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Report: No-Deal Brexit Could Leave UK With Medical Shortages

Associated Press

   LONDON - Britain's government watchdog says there's still a
   "significant amount" of work to do to make sure the country has an
   adequate supply of licensed drugs in case of a no-deal Brexit.

   In a report issued Friday, Britain's National Audit Office said
   additional shipping capacity chartered by the U.K. for sending goods
   across the English Channel might not be operational until the end of
   November -- one month after the Oct. 31 deadline for Britain to leave
   the European Union. Of the more than 12,300 medicines licensed in the
   U.K., about 7,000 arrive from or via the EU, mostly across the Channel.

   Meg Hillier, who chairs a committee overseeing the audit office, called
   the findings "deeply concerning." She said she had seen "countless
   examples" of the British government missing deadlines, but that this
   one was particularly striking.

   "If the government gets this wrong, it could have the gravest of
   consequences," she said.
   Alan Boyd of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said people with
   epilepsy were a particular concern in the event of any drug shortages,
   noting that "one seizure can have a life-changing impact."
   According to the British government's "reasonable worst-case" scenario,
   the flow of goods could be cut by half on Day One of a no-deal Brexit
   and could take a year to recover. It said time was "extremely limited"
   if the shipping issues were to be resolved by the end of October.

   'Troubling, reckless'

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