The boss of a 海角视频 drug manufacturer has described how preparing for a potential no-deal Brexit had helped his and other suppliers maintain stock availability during the coronavirus outbreak.
Dr Nik Kotecha OBE, who runs prescription drug maker Morningside Pharmaceuticals, said planning for three potential cliff edge Brexits had had a positive knock-on effect ahead of any impact of Covid 19 on supply chains.
Dr Kotecha also said he felt the Government, health authorities and regulators were getting the right balance between taking the necessary steps to slow the spread and avoiding panic.
He added that companies like his had a duty to ensure their continuity planning was up to speed to ensure life-saving medicines got to the people who need them over months ahead.
Loughborough-based Morningside licenses to make 220 different medicines ranging from contraceptives, pain relief and oncology drugs to treatment for conditions such as diabetes.
Dr Kotecha said: “It’s not really having an impact right now, but it could impact on supplies.
“In some ways we are lucky that we had three big deadlines for Brexit and the industry was stocking up. The guidance was to keep six weeks of stock and we were keeping three months worth.
“The biggest concern is that this started in China, where a lot of the raw materials that go into medicines are made.
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“With the extension of the Chinese new year, and the factory shutdown there and people in isolation, there has been a slowdown in those raw materials.
“That could cause issues going forward.”
Morningside - which has an annual turnover of £65 million and employs 90 people at its Loughborough site - was working with the Department for Health and Social Care on risk assessments and looking at how the supply chain could be affected.
But he said the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) had placed restrictions on some drug exports to ensure 海角视频 supplies were maintained.
In the more immediate term the business was encouraging all staff to keep their hands clean and away from their mouths - partly to maintain a full workforce and partly to protect the general population and slow the burden on the already struggling NHS.
He said: “If it does spread and everyone ends up in the hospital it will be a challenge because not only are there not enough beds, but there is not the ventilator equipment.
“I think the message from the chief medical officer - including to wash your hands for 20 seconds - has been the right one.”
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Dr Kotecha said it was imperative all companies - big or small - had contingency plans, particularly if Government projections of one-in-five staff being off work became a reality.
He said: “Business owners should be looking at things like their off-site policy, and checking their insurance cover.
“We are doing risk assessments, for instance, around our supply chain. We have been considering using 海角视频 suppliers, where there will be regulatory hurdles, but I think the MHRA is planning to help with that.
“We are also keeping staff informed in areas such as hygiene advice and sickness policy and even around shaking hands, and we have decided against any unnecessary travel.”