29 September 2017Big Pharma

EMA raises concerns over eight cities where relocation possible

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has claimed that relocation to eight unidentified cities would result in “permanent damage to the system”.

As a result of Brexit, the EMA will move from its London headquarters to another EU member state but the agency’s new location remains undecided.

A staff survey published by the EMA on Tuesday, September 26 outlined the impact on staff retention of each of the 19 possible locations.

In the eight least popular locations, relocation could result in a retention rate of below 30%.

The EMA said that the “resources available would not be sufficient” for the agency to operate, resulting in a “public health crisis”.

An update, released on the same day as the survey, said that the results raised “serious concerns”.

“Some staff losses can be absorbed with EMA’s business continuity plan, but beyond a critical threshold, the agency will no longer be able to fulfil its mandate to protect the health of European citizens,” it said.

If the EMA were to relocate to those eight locations, the agency claimed that the EU single market for medicines could unravel, meaning that medicines would become unavailable and there would be a need to import from third countries.

However, relocation to five candidate cities could result in over 65% staff retention, with the top city having a retention rate of 81%.

This would mean that the approval of new medicines and safety monitoring would be largely maintained, although there is the possibility of delays.

Progress on a number of public health initiatives would also move at a slower pace.

The EMA said: “The results of the survey emphasise the importance of the upcoming decision on the EMA’s future seat as the retention of skilled and experienced staff is crucial for the agency’s continuity of operations.”

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More on this story

Big Pharma
21 November 2017   The European Medicines Agency will relocate from its London, UK headquarters to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands.

More on this story

Big Pharma
21 November 2017   The European Medicines Agency will relocate from its London, UK headquarters to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands.