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Drugs: Northern Ireland

Question for Department of Health and Social Care

UIN 132534, tabled on 25 January 2023

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that all medicines approved for use In Great Britain are also available in Northern Ireland.

Answered on

2 February 2023

Our priority is to safeguard the continued supply of medicines to patients in Northern Ireland and help ensure equity of access for patients across the United Kingdom.

Following negotiations last year, the European Union and UK Government have taken significant practical steps towards resolving outstanding issues with the regulation and supply of medicines under the Northern Ireland Protocol. This includes the introduction of the NI MHRA Authorised Route (NIMAR) to help ensure patients in Northern Ireland can access prescription-only medicines at the same time as patients in Great Britain.