'Contingency plans' in place to store medicines post-Brexit, Taoiseach confirms

The Taoiseach has said that Ireland is preparing for a potential shortage of medicines here in the event of a hard Brexit.

Leo Varadkar said the country is making “contingency plans” should a new regulatory regime come into force in the UK when they leave the EU.

"There is potentially a concern around medicines, both because a lot of our supply chains go through the United Kingdom. Some companies see the UK and Ireland as a single market," Mr Varadkar said.

"Everything down to the packaging, and the English language information that comes with your box of tablets, is done on a UK-Ireland wide basis.

He added that "some companies might see Ireland’s market as just too small on its own."

“So part of our contingency planning does involve making sure that we have a supply of medicines.”

It follows last week's announcement by the British Government that it's to begin stockpiling medicines and blood supplies in the event of a 'no deal' Brexit.

Digital Desk