How medtech can stay healthy outside the EU

ABHI, the UK medical technology industry association, yesterday launched a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring the sector continues to prosper once Britain leaves the European Union (EU).

Entitled ‘Healthy outside the EU: Strategy for a thriving MedTech Industry’, the document outlines how the UK can forge successful international relationships, increase efficiency of healthcare delivery and improve patient outcomes.

The report advocate that the UK should remain part of the CE marking regime for the medical devices industry – one of the major question marks surrounding Brexit.

ABHI also goes on to recommend that the UK should join the International Medical Device Regulators Forum (IMDRF), in order to achieve more influence over regulations globally.

To further boost the competitiveness of the UK’s life science sector, the report proposes a medtech-specific catapult, which would have access to regional datasets.

That data would be collected on ‘real world and real time outcomes specific to medtech evidence needs and outputs’.

Senior leaders from the industry, healthcare professionals and officials, gathered at ABHI’s London offices to mark the publication of the report.

Along with recommendations in its formal response to the ‘Building our Industrial Strategy’ green paper, ABHI will be advocating that ‘Healthy Outside the EU’ informs government policy.

ABHI’s chief executive Peter Ellingworth said: “Our aim is to be positive, constructive and innovative in advancing policies that will benefit the medtech sector, the patients we serve and help our health and care system address some of the challenges it faces.

“Brexit brings challenges, but this series of recommendations will ensure that the industry is primed to fully realise its potential and seize the opportunities that this time of change will bring.”

Other proposed measures include increased presence of medtech specialists in overseas embassies, the launch of a specialised export strategy campaign, and representation for ABHI in ministerial negotiations affecting the sector.