The Impact of EU Exit on the Health and Life Science Sectors

Author Tim Reckmann Licence CC BY 2.0, Source EU Autritt

Jane Lambert

RTC North is holding a series of talks by Neil Warwick on Preparing Your Business for EU Exit – Success in 2021 and Beyond.  Mr Warwick is a solicitor at the Newcastle office of DAC Beachcroft where he specializes in EU and national competition law.  He is also the National Portfolio Chair on Brexit for the Federation of Small Businesses and has a held a number of other important appointments.  His talks cover manufacturing, health and life sciences, subsea, energy and offshore and digital, tech and creative industries.   I attended Mr Warwick's talk on health and life sciences which he delivered on Tuesday.   

He started by acknowledging that brexit is an emotive subject and he did not wish to discuss its merits or otherwise,   His task was to offer his audience practical advice and information.  The UK's exit from the single market and customs union at 23:00 on 31 Dec 2020 was assured.  There was no guarantee that agreement would be reached on the UK's future relationship with the EU.  Businesses in the healthcare and life science sectors should plan on the assumption that there will be no deal with the EU upon the end of the transition period.

There will no longer be free movement of goods, services, labour and capital between the UK and EU. That means customs formalities and possibly tariffs on imports from and exports to the UK's biggest and richest market. It will be less easy to recruit workers from the EU or second British workers to operations in the EU member states.  EU funding will cease.  It will be less convenient to travel to EU states.  Businesses should assess how these changes will affect them, identify areas of concern, make contingency plans to deal with those concerns and procedures for implementing the plans.

The healthcare sector could expect regulations to diverge over time.  Businesses should stockpile essentials where they can.  Contracts should be reviewed for clauses modifying or excluding performance as a result of brexit.  There will be a lot of new legislation.  New computer systems will be required.  The UK will cease to have preferential access to many third-party markets. There will be extensive changes to IP, data protection and the regulation of medicines and medical devices.

Mr Warwick saw a number of opportunities arising from brexit.  It was, in his view, preferable to be regulated by the MHRA. There could be an end to restrictions on state aid.  It would be easier to work with partners outside Europe,  Finally, the pandemic had shows that businesses should always be ready for the unexpected.

Thise interested in British withdrawal from the EU and its consequences may wish to check out NIPC Brext,  Anyone wishing to discuss this article may call me on 020 7404 5252 or send me a message through my contact form.

Initial Advice and Signposting in North East England

Author Tony Grist Source Wikipedia North East England

Jane Lambert

In 2014 the North East Local Enterprise Partnership ("NELEP") published a strategic economic plan to create 100,000 new jobs in its region by 2024,  A copy of the plan can be downloaded from "the Plan" page on NELEP's website.

Those new jobs were expected i:

• Advanced Manufacturing
• Digital Technologies
• Energy, and 
• Health and Life Sciences.

Until the lockdown, the plan seemed to be working.   The website reported that  74,000 new jobs had been created since 2014 and improvements to employment rates, economic activity and productivity had been achieved.  More detail is offered in the "Our Progress" page.

Though the shutdown will have dampened demand for some of the products of the advanced manufacturing sector such as motor vehicles those four sectors should be more resilient than most.  Indeed, there should even be some positive growth,

Much of that growth will come from startups and other small business including especially spinoff ventures from the region's research universities.  An important resource for entrepreneurs and small business owners is the Business and IP Centre at Newcastle Central Library. This was the first of a national network of regional libraries to partner with the Brtish Library in offering high-quality business advice, information and training either free of charge or at a modest cost.  Newcastle Business and IP Centre offered a particularly extensive range of services to its users.

Many of those services have been suspended during the shutdown but it is still possible to access online services from Newcastle and London.  It is also worth joining the Business and IP Centre's Linkedin and Facebook groups and following their twitter stream.

One of the most useful services offered by the Newcastle Business and IP Centre was the IP clinic operated by local patent attorneys in partnership with the library and the Chartered Institute of Patent Attorneys.  I normally advise and assist the attorneys and lawyers who run these clinics by providing further advice on complex legal issues and other matters on which counsel are best placed to advise (see Jane Lambert IP Services from Barristers 6 April 2013 NIPC News),  While the clinics are shut I provide initial advice and signposting over Zoom.  I also discuss IP issues likely to affect private inventors through my Inventors Club blog and trade mark, domain name and other branding issues in my Branding blog.

Anyone requiring initial advice and signposting over Zoom should complete the form below.  Anyone who wishes to discuss this article should contact me through my message page.  I shall respond promptly by phone, VoIP or email.