New regulations requiring over-the-counter medicines imported from the EU to be re-tested for quality control purposes before sale in the UK will not be introduced from January 2023 as originally planned, the Government has announced.
Instead, any decision to implement any new arrangements will come following a Government review and with a notice period of two years for affected companies.
Michelle Riddalls, Chief Executive of PAGB, the consumer healthcare association, said:
“We welcome the Government’s decision to review the proposals and revise its timetable for the introduction of duplicate quality control tests for over-the-counter medicines imported into the UK from the EU.
“PAGB argued on behalf of the consumer healthcare industry against the imposition of these arrangements.
“We sought the views of our members about their impact and shared their concerns with the Department of Health and Social Care, the Office for Life Sciences and others.
“We are pleased that following PAGB and industry discussions, the Government has decided not to introduce the new rules in January 2023 as originally planned.
“Companies importing over-the-counter medicines now know they will have at least two years to prepare, if they are to be required at some point in the future to conduct checks in the UK which repeat the already-robust procedures followed under EU testing standards.”
