Freedom of Information request on funding and contributions from pharmaceutical companies (FOI 22/702)
Published 22 March 2023
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FOI 22/702
26 May 2022
Dear
Thank you for your email.
The MHRA does not receive financial contributions or donations.
We do receive funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as other sources outside government such as WHO. This funding mainly supports work to strengthen regulatory systems in other countries.
The majority of our income comes from the pharmaceutical industry through fees. For example, all Marketing Authorisation applicants have to pay a fee. The licensing of medicines is an independent, scientific process which is overseen by the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM).
The CHM is an independent body which advises on applications for marketing authorisations. This includes considering further representation against our provisional advice in respect of national applications; advises on the need for, and content of, risk management plans for new medicines; advises on the impact of new safety issues on the balance of risks and benefits of licensed medicines – e.g. adding warnings, restricting or suspending use of a medicine and advises the licensing authority on changes to legal status of marketing authorisations.
Please see below table for the total income received from licensing authorisations and periodic fees for the companies listed in your request. This is reflective for calendar years.
| Company Name | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AstraZeneca | 167,215 | 692,719 | 937,130 | 930,638 | 1,410,534 | 4,138,236 |
| GlaxoSmithKline | 1,822,258 | 2,870,167 | 2,651,436 | 1,981,793 | 1,544,906 | 10,870,560 |
| Johnson & Johnson | 5,784 | 23,886 | 14,947 | 20,130 | 9,613 | 74,360 |
| Moderna | 0 | 4,487 | 7,499 | 332 | 362,570 | 374,888 |
| Pfizer | 81,376 | 1,047,748 | 1,144,502 | 898,742 | 1,476,902 | 4,649,270 |
| Grand Total | 2,076,632 | 4,639,007 | 4,755,514 | 3,831,635 | 4,804,525 | 20,107,313 |
The MHRA has received funding from the Gates Foundation in relation to a number of initiatives across the Agency. The current level of grant funding received from the Gates Foundation amounts to approximately $3m and spans across several financial years. Please see the below link for further information.
We are an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care. Our Annual reports (links below) contain information regarding our funding. If you require more details about the level of Government Funding please refer to the financial statements in the Annual report.
MHRA_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2020.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
MHRA_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2020-21.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
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Yours sincerely
MHRA Customer Experience Centre