EMA Issues Statement on Brexit

In the wake of the dramatic result of Thursday’s UK referendum on Brexit, the London-based European Medicines Agency (EMA) issued an official statement today to the press. In an email sent to Applied Clinical Trials in response to a request for comment on the agency's potential relocation, the EMA gave the following statement: 

We respect the UK citizens’ decision to no longer be a part of the European Union.

The people in the UK have taken their vote and it is now up to the UK government to decide how to act upon the outcome of the referendum.

Article 50 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU foresees the procedure to be followed in case a Member State notifies the European Council of its decision to withdraw from the Union. No country has ever decided to leave the EU, so there is no precedent for this situation. It is too early to foresee the implications of this decision and we will be in close contact with the EU institutions. When we have concrete information, we will share it with our stakeholders.

EMA will continue with its work with the goal to protect human and animal health and ensure access to medicines that are safe, effective and of good quality.