Freedom of Information request on confirmation on whether or not and of the board members of SAGE have received any funding from bill and Melinda gates Foundation or any of his associated companys (FOI 22/576)
Published 1 June 2022
© Crown copyright 2022
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-responses-from-the-mhra-week-commencing-31-march-2022/freedom-of-information-request-on-confirmation-on-whether-or-not-and-of-the-board-members-of-sage-have-received-any-funding-from-bill-and-melinda-gate
FOI 22/576
28th March 2022
Dear
Thank you for your email 23rd March where you have asked “ Could you please confirm weather or not and of the board members of SAGE have received any funding from bill and Melinda gates Foundation or any of his associated companys”
We confirm we do not hold this information and suggest that you contact SAGE.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/scientific-advisory-group-for-emergencies
In regards to MHRA, 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 the links below for further information.
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.
We are an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care. Our Annual report (link below) contains information on page 9 regarding our funding. If you require more details about the level of Government Funding please refer to the financial statements in the Annual report.
If you have a query about the information provided, please reply to this email
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date you receive this response and addressed to: info@mhra.gov.uk
Due to the ongoing Pandemic situation, we are not able to accept delivery of any documents or correspondence by post or courier to any of our offices
Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.
If you were to remain dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal review, you would have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. Please bear in mind that the Information Commissioner will not normally review our handling of your request unless you have first contacted us to conduct an internal review. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Yours sincerely
MHRA Customer Experience Centre
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
10 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf, London E14 4PU Telephone 0203 080 6000