Today’s ballot in Brussels, which involved representatives of every EU country (excluding the UK), has resulted in Amsterdam being selected as the new home for the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Along with the prestige of hosting the EMA, Amsterdam will receive a boost for their pharmaceutical industry and increased access to expert researchers.
A total of 19 cities bid to host the EMA.
The EMA has been headquartered in the UK since the 1990s and has 890 staff based in London. Since hosting the European Medicines Agency headquarters, the UK has had an extensive role in planning and chairing various medical schemes and leading many of the EMA’s regulatory activities.
Commenting on the news, Professor Alan Boyd, Founder of Boyds, said, “It is reassuring to know that Amsterdam is the agreed location for the EMA once the UK has left the EU. There is still a lot to do, but the work carried out by the EMA is fundamental to increasing the efficiency of the regulation of new medicines across the EU. It remains to be seen what impact this will have on medicines development and early access to new drugs for patients in the UK. The EMA currently regulates medicine for the entire EU market, with the imminent changes, it is important that everyone involved in the transition process and beyond, focuses on patient safety and public health. Patients must be put first above any other priority.
The city of Amsterdam and the EMA will now begin the transition ahead of the UK leaving the EU in March 2019.
