Regulators

More than £40m of illegally-traded medicines seized by MHRA in 2024

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency partnered with UK Border Force to target medicines illegally entering the UK, with most of the medicines not licensed for sale.…

How we have improved fitness-to-practise and inspection processes

After their first year in post, Roz Gittins and Dionne Spence recount how they have tackled rising number of fitness-to-practise concerns received by the General Pharmaceutical Council.…

EMA safety committee to review link between semaglutide and rare eye condition

The review will include data from clinical trials, post-marketing surveillance, studies on the mechanism of action and medical literature.…

Coroners raise concerns about medicines shortages following two patient deaths

The ‘Prevention of future deaths’ reports, published on 20 and 31 December 2024, were issued following deaths of patients who had experienced supply issues with their ADHD and epilepsy medications, respectively.…

Pharmacy professionals will be vital to the MHRA’s regulatory work in 2025

The chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency reviews the successes of 2024 in medicine regulation and looks at where improvements can be made in the year ahead.…

MHRA eliminates backlog of medicines awaiting marketing authorisation

After resolving its backlog of medicines approvals, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency aims to adopt its tailored biosimilar UK licensing pathway as it does not need manufacturers to conduct confirmatory clinical trials.…

NHS England delays mandatory multi-sector foundation training rotations

Cross-sector rotations had been due to start for 2026/2027 pharmacy foundation trainees, but they will now not be mandatory until the following year.…

Online pharmacies to be inspected within six months of registration, says GPhC

The target for first inspections of new bricks-and-mortar pharmacies will be extended to 12 months.…

Hospital pharmacist trainees more likely to pass registration exam than community trainees, finds analysis

Authors found that, between 2016 and 2024, students were more likely to pass the registration exam if they had undertaken their placement in a hospital, rather than a community setting.…

UK medicines regulation disincentivising investment in research development, finds survey

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry’s survey results accompany 12 recommendations for improving the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s effectiveness as a UK medicines regulator.…