Britain could see widespread medicine shortages if there is no deal to prevent friction at the border with the European Union after Brexit, the AstraZeneca chief executive told the Sunday Times.
The company said in July it would stockpile drugs as a Brexit safety net, and CEO Pascal Soriot told the Sunday Times in an interview that the complexity of the supply chain in pharmaceuticals meant that delays would be likely.
“We have products that go back and forth between the UK and Europe at different stages of manufacturing,” he was quoted as saying. “If drugs are stuck, you have a problem.”
Separately, the Sunday Times reported that Jaguar Land Rover was considering following BMW’s lead and bringing forward its annual summer factory shutdown to coincide with Britain’s departure from the EU in case there is no deal, but added no decision had been taken.
By Alistair Smout
Source: Reuters
Airnov provides critical healthcare industries with high-quality, controlled atmosphere packaging, to protect their products from moisture and oxygen. The business has manufacturing facilities in the USA, France, China and India and employs around 700 people.
Takeda of Japan has partnered with Hong Kong-based Hutchmed, gaining the commercial rights to colorectal cancer drug fruquintinib outside of China for $400 million up front, plus $730 million in potential milestone payments. Takeda also will help develop fruquintinib, which can be applied to subtypes of refractory metastatic colorectal cancer, regardless of biomarker status, the companies said.
On April 3, Scangos, who’s been chief executive officer at Vir since the start of 2017, will hand over the reins to Marianne De Backer, Ph.D. De Backer comes over from Bayer, where she currently heads up pharmaceutical strategy, business development and licensing. Alongside her CEO appointment, De Backer is set to join Vir’s board of directors, the company said Wednesday.
