The Human Medicines (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019

Insertion of new regulations 60A (condition as to the submitting of samples and other information to the appropriate authority)

67.  After regulation 60, insert—

“Condition as to the submitting of samples and other information to the appropriate authority

60A.— (1) In this regulation—

“the appropriate authority” is to be construed in accordance with section 57(7) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012(1);

“appropriate documentation”, in relation to a sample of a batch submitted to the appropriate authority in accordance with the batch testing condition or pursuant to a notification under paragraph (12), means—

(a)

any certificate issued by a laboratory in an approved country for batch testing and certification of biological medicinal products that relates to the sample of the batch submitted to the appropriate authority with that certificate; and

(b)

such other documentation as the appropriate authority notifies the holder of the UK marketing authorisation to which the sample relates that it requires;

“approved country list for batch testing and certification of biological medicinal products” means the list described in paragraph (5), and “approved country for batch testing and certification of biological medicinal products” means a country included in that list;

“the batch testing condition”, in respect of a UK marketing authorisation, is a condition to the effect that, unless the batch testing exemption applies, the holder of the UK marketing authorisation—

(a)

must submit a sample from each batch of the medicinal product that is the subject of that authorisation to the appropriate authority, together with appropriate documentation; and

(b)

must not sell or supply, or offer to sell or supply, a medicinal product that forms part of that batch in the United Kingdom until the appropriate authority has examined—

(i)

the sample from that batch,

(ii)

the appropriate documentation, or

(iii)

both that sample and that documentation,

and confirmed that it is satisfied that the batch is in conformity with the approved specifications in the UK marketing authorisation; and

“the batch testing exemption” means that—

(a)

a certificate has been issued by a laboratory in a country other than the United Kingdom;

(b)

an agreement has been made between that country and the United Kingdom (whether or not the agreement is solely with that country, a group of countries or an organisation of which that country is a part); and

(c)

that agreement is to the effect that the appropriate authority will recognise that certificate in respect of the batch of the medicinal product, in place of the appropriate authority’s own examination of a sample from the batch, the appropriate documentation or both.

(2) The licensing authority may impose the batch testing condition in respect of a UK marketing authorisation for a medicinal product that is—

(a) a live vaccine;

(b) an immunological medicinal product used in the primary immunisation of infants or other groups at risk;

(c) an immunological product used in public health immunisation programmes;

(d) subject to paragraph (3), a new immunological product manufactured using new or altered kinds of technology or new for a particular manufacturer; or

(e) derived from human blood or human plasma.

(3) If the licensing authority imposes a condition in respect of a UK marketing authorisation for a medicinal product of a kind mentioned in paragraph (2)(d), it must, in imposing that condition, specify a period of time for the duration of the condition.

(4) The appropriate authority must complete its examination of the sample for testing, the appropriate documentation or both (as the case may be) within the period of 60 days, beginning with the date on which the appropriate authority is in receipt of both the sample for testing, and the appropriate documentation.

(5) The appropriate authority must publish a list, to be known as the approved country list for batch testing and certification of biological medicinal products, specifying the countries that are approved for the purposes of the appropriate authority’s assessment under paragraph (6).

(6) Where a holder of a UK marketing authorisation, in order to comply with the batch testing condition, submits appropriate documentation that includes a certificate issued by a laboratory in an approved country for batch testing and certification of biological medicinal products in respect of the batch, the appropriate authority must, in addition to any other factors it considers relevant, take that into account in determining whether the appropriate authority needs to undertake any further testing of the medicinal product submitted to it.

(7) In order to determine whether a country should be included in the approved country list for batch testing and certification of biological medicinal products, the appropriate authority may, in particular, take into account whether the relevant certification process in that country is based on testing performed under a quality assurance system that undergoes regular external assessment to ensure it meets an appropriate standard of competence for testing biological medicines.

(8) The appropriate authority must—

(a) review the countries it has included in the approved country list for batch testing and certification of biological medicinal products to determine if it is still satisfied that the country should remain on that list, and if it is not so satisfied, remove that country from the list; and

(b) undertake that review at least every three years beginning with the date on which that country is included in the list.

(9) The appropriate authority must—

(a) publish a list of countries, or organisations, with whom the United Kingdom has an agreement for the purposes of the application of the batch testing exemption;

(b) include in that list any conditions or restrictions in that agreement that affect the applicability of the batch testing exemption; and

(c) update that list as soon as reasonably practicable if—

(i) the United Kingdom no longer has an agreement with a country or organisation included in the list,

(ii) any such agreement is amended, or

(iii) the United Kingdom enters in to a new agreement with a country or organisation.

(10) Where a holder of a UK marketing authorisation relies on the batch testing exemption in relation to a batch of a medicinal product, that holder must submit the certificate in respect of that batch to the licensing authority and the appropriate authority, and such other documentation as those authorities may notify that holder they require, before it sells or supplies, or offers to sell or supply, a medicinal product that forms part of that batch in the United Kingdom.

(11) Paragraph (12) applies where the appropriate authority considers that there are public health concerns in respect of a batch of a medicinal product (“the relevant batch”) in relation to which the batch testing exemption would otherwise apply.

(12) Where this paragraph applies, the appropriate authority must, subject to paragraph (13), notify the holder of the UK marketing authorisation in respect of the relevant batch that it nevertheless requires that holder—

(a) to submit a sample from the relevant batch to the appropriate authority, together with appropriate documentation; and

(b) not to sell or supply, or to offer to sell or supply, a medicinal product that forms part of that batch in the United Kingdom until the appropriate authority has examined—

(i) the sample from that batch,

(ii) the appropriate documentation, or

(iii) both that sample and that documentation,

and confirmed that it is satisfied that the relevant batch is in conformity with the approved specifications in the UK marketing authorisation.

(13) The appropriate authority may only exercise its powers under paragraph (12) if the agreement made between the country in which the certificate was issued, and the United Kingdom (whether the agreement is solely with that country, a group of countries or an organisation of which that country is a part) provides for the relevant batch to be re-examined by the appropriate authority in the circumstances described in paragraph (11).”.

(1)

2012 c.7.