In brief
The MHRA has been accepted as a full member of three groups: the International Medical Device Regulatory Forum (IMDRF), the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) and the US-based Medical Devices Innovation Consortium (MDIC). These partnerships bolster the MHRAs position as an influential international player in medicinal and medical device regulation and restore the MHRAs ties with the IMDRF and ICH.
The IMDRF and ICH memberships will enhance the MHRAs ability to share knowledge and expertise with other major organizations. Meanwhile, the MDIC will enable the MHRA to interact with a variety of both public and private representatives (regulatory bodies, industry professionals, non-profits, and patient organizations from different countries). The benefits of the MHRAs partnerships with the IMDRF, ICH and MDIC are two-fold. Firstly, these partnerships will ensure greater global harmonized regulation. Secondly, these partnerships will enable faster and swifter access to medical products (facilitated further by transformational medical technology). Indeed, as a member of the MDIC, the MHRA will have an active role and say in improving the processes for developing, assessing and reviewing new medical technologies.
Dr Glenn Wells, Chief International and Partnerships at the MHRA, said as follows:
“We are delighted to join these three international organizations to collaborate on the regulatory alignment that will help deliver safer, innovative, and more cost-effective medicines and medical devices to the people who need them sooner.
“We are currently building a world-leading regime for regulating medicines and medical devices in the UK that prioritizes patient safety while fostering innovation, and we look forward to sharing expertise with partner organizations for the benefit of patients not just in the UK but worldwide.”
Please click here to find the official press release: MHRA joins international partnerships to set global standards for medicines and medical devices regulation – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
For further information, please contact Julia Gillert of our London office.
