Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that patients who are prescribed Naproxen continue to be able to receive that medication in the event of (a) the UK leaving the EU on 29 March 2019 and (b) the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

The Government is working to ensure that patients can expect the same continuity of supply of medicines that they currently experience as a member of the European Union after we leave. Therefore, as a responsible Government, we continue to prepare for all scenarios including leaving without any deal.

We understand that Naproxen is vitally important to many people in this country. Our contingency plans include sensible mitigations for medicines that come to the United Kingdom from or via the EU. We have received very good engagement from industry who share our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines supply for patients is maintained, and that companies are able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the short term in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit.

In August 2018, the Department wrote to pharmaceutical companies asking them to stockpile six weeks additional supply of all prescription-only and pharmacy medicines which enter the UK from, or via, the EU or European Economic Area (EEA) over and above their business as usual stocks by 29 March 2019, to ensure that the supply of all medicines to patients, including Naproxen, is not disrupted.

Additionally, in December 2018, we wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply prescription-only medicines and pharmacy medicines to the UK that come from, or via, the EU or EEA, as well as UK manufacturers of medicines currently using the short-Straits crossings into Dover and Folkestone, to inform them of the Government’s updated reasonable worst-case scenario border disruption planning assumptions. We will continue to work closely with these companies in order to ensure continuity of supply of all medicines to patients is maintained.