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Protection of insulin supplies by not allowing parallel exporting

Protection of insulin supplies by not allowing parallel exporting

Parallel exporting is when companies buy medicines meant for UK patients and sell on for a higher price in another country, potentially causing or aggravating supply problems.

There is now a parallel export ban will help ensure there is an uninterrupted supply of medicines for NHS hospitals and patients. As of yesterday (31st March 2020), an additional 51 medicines have been added to the list-making more 80 medicines on the list. This includes a number of different insulin types, including human, analogues and pork insulin. The list can be seen here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/medicines-that-cannot-be-parallel-exported-from-the-uk

All medicines on the list are in high demand across Europe as health systems come under increasing pressure from coronavirus (COVID-19). The restrictions are a standard measure to manage potential medicine shortages and protects UK patients by ensuring the NHS has the treatments to continue providing world-class care.

Companies that parallel export a medicine on the ban list may face tough enforcement action from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and risk having their trading licence revoked for serious breaches.