European approvals face delay from agency move

Grant Castle is quoted in an EP Vantage article examining how the move of the European Medicines Agency from London will impact European drug approvals. According to Castle, the main consequence of lower staff numbers could be longer waiting times to file drugs. “Because of the regulatory timetable there isn’t a huge amount of scope for delaying reviews, but companies could find it difficult to get their drugs into the queue for filing." 

Castle adds that if the EMA moves east salary levels, which are based on average wages in the host country, could be significantly reduced. “That’s why London is popular, because the EMA can pay the salaries that sophisticated high-tech employees expect. If it moves to Sofia the salary levels might not be enough to attract the highly skilled people it needs.” He also believes that demands from the east could indeed influence the eventual destination of the agency. “If you had a significant number of newer member states pressing for a EU institution in their territory it would have some political weight,” he says. If an Eastern European city is selected, this might not be the end of the world, Castle adds.