Pharma bodies confirm signing NDAs for no-deal Brexit plans

The UK Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) have announced that non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have been signed by stakeholders in the pharmaceutical industry “to protect the commercial interest of the government and its suppliers,” according to an exclusive report from The Pharmaceutical Journal.

The agreements prevent parties from disclosing the UK government’s plans for a no-deal Brexit.

The list of bodies that have confirmed signing NDAs includes:

• Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC)
• Healthcare Distribution Association (HDA)
• British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA)
• Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

Director general of the BGMA, Warwick Smith, criticised the government for publishing “lots of propaganda” when it “needs to be much more open about its planning assumptions”.

However, Martin Sawer, executive director for the HDA, said the no-deal Brexit planning discussions should be held “in confidence because people then feel more comfortable discussing some scenarios and hypothetical situations and it’s not all being held down and recorded”.

The NDAs were reportedly all signed in 2018 by members of the pharmaceutical industry supply chain.

A spokesperson for the ABPI commented: “Given the complexity of this planning — including commercially sensitive information shared between government and industry — an NDA was agreed to support effective planning for continued medicines supply in the event of a no-deal Brexit.”

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has announced it has not signed a government NDA relating to no-deal Brexit preparations.