LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Pharmaceutical companies could stop launching drugs in Britain because of overly complicated regulatory issues, Subhanu Saxena, UK chief executive of Novartis AG, told The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
Long delays for new drugs to gain approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the drug regulator, and from the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (Nice), are making Britain uncompetitive for drug companies, Saxena said.
'It is becoming expensive to do trials in the UK and hard to launch new drugs,' he was cited as saying.
'There is a real possibility that drug companies will stop launching drugs in Britain.'
The report said Saxena's views are likely to increase pressure on Nice to change working practices and start consulting on cost-benefit analysis for new drugs before they have received regulatory approval, rather waiting for the MHRA to complete its work. rhys.jones@thomson.com rj/vs COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.
Long delays for new drugs to gain approval from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the drug regulator, and from the National Institute for Health & Clinical Excellence (Nice), are making Britain uncompetitive for drug companies, Saxena said.
'It is becoming expensive to do trials in the UK and hard to launch new drugs,' he was cited as saying.
'There is a real possibility that drug companies will stop launching drugs in Britain.'
The report said Saxena's views are likely to increase pressure on Nice to change working practices and start consulting on cost-benefit analysis for new drugs before they have received regulatory approval, rather waiting for the MHRA to complete its work. rhys.jones@thomson.com rj/vs COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.