Global Pharma Companies Urge EU to Settle on EMA’s Relocation this Summer

Research heads of 19 global pharmaceutical companies signed on to an open letter calling for a quick decision to relocate the European Medicines Agency from London, post-Brexit — preferably at the June meeting of the European Council.

They say the new location must be easily accessible and able to accommodate the 36,000 experts who visit the agency annually to participate in scientific meetings.

“It is a stark and alarming reality that such fundamental activities would undoubtedly be impeded were the operations of the agency to be disrupted as a result of the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU,” they wrote. “To put it concisely: in the event of obstruction or failure, Europe possesses no backup option.”

The letter was signed by representatives from Novartis, Bayer, Institut de Recherches Internationales Servier, Pfizer, Teva, Amgen, UCB Pharmaceuticals, Ipsen, Eli Lilly & Co., Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, MSD, Takeda, Roche, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, GSK and Sanofi.