The CEO of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is set to leave the agency in 10 months. Ian Hudson’s decision means the agency faces the prospect of changing leaders while dealing with the fallout from Brexit.
The U.K. is due to leave the European Union toward the end of March. Six months after that, Hudson will end his stint as head of the MHRA. The regulatory implications of Brexit remain uncertain, but it is possible Hudson will leave an agency that will have recently been forced to operate independently of the European Medicines Agency.
Hudson’s successor could therefore inherit an organization trying to cope with the expansion of its regulatory responsibilities while mitigating the effects of Brexit on drug supply, approvals and other activities. Despite that, Hudson thinks September is the right time to leave.
“My reasons for stepping down are both personal and professional,” Hudson said in a statement. “I had always intended to reduce my total work commitment to enable me to pursue other things and perhaps have more of a portfolio career by the time I reached 60, which has now happened. I feel the time is right for a new person to guide the agency and our work through its next phase, following the U.K.’s departure from the European Union next year,”
Hudson has served as CEO of MHRA since September 2013 and has worked in U.K. drug regulation since 2001. The length of Hudson’s involvement in U.K. drug regulation means his initial appointment predated the creation of MHRA, which was founded in 2003 through the merger of existing drug and device agencies.
Yet, despite the changes Hudson has seen during his time at MHRA and its predecessor, it is possible the most dramatic shift will occur in the final six months of his tenure. Whether that happens may depend on Prime Minister Theresa May’s ability to get a broadly unpopular agreement designed to soften the initial impact of Brexit through Parliament.
By Nick Paul Taylor
Source: Fierce Biotech
In 2017, Sanofi partnered with the Lebanon, New Hampshire-based ImmuNext to develop an antibody for autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis, which included giving Sanofi a worldwide license to develop frexalimab. The agreement involved milestone payments upto $500 million.
Global manufacturer for the pharmaceutical, biotech and nutraceutical markets, Lonza has announced that it has acquired Synaffix, a biotech company focused on the commercialisation of its clinical stage technology platform for the development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs).
In its hunt for the new head of its pharmaceutical systems business—which makes syringes, self-injection systems and other drug delivery devices for 70% of the top 100 drugmakers in the world, according to the company—BD landed on a candidate with plenty of experience among that customer group.
