Letter from the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the Chair of the Regulatory Horizon Council, 16 August 2021 (HTML)
Published 19 August 2021
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This letter is from Kwasi Kwarteng MP, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. It is addressed to Cathryn Ross, Chair of the Regulatory Horizons Council (RHC). The letter is a response to the RHC’s report on medical devices.
The letter was sent on 16 August 2021.
Letter
Dear Cathryn,
Thank you for your recommendations to government from the Regulatory Horizons Council. I found this report on the regulation of medical devices highly relevant and timely because the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will shortly be consulting on the medical devices regulatory framework. My colleagues in the Department of Health and Social Care, who have responsibility for the relevant legislation, will respond in detail to your recommendations following the response to that consultation.
The UK’s aim is to have a best-in-class regulatory environment for both medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics. Whilst the MHRA is already recognised as a global leader, we cannot be complacent and must use the opportunity of leaving the EU to deliver a best-in-class regulatory system for the UK. The regulatory response to COVID-19 demonstrated the speed and flexibility with which the UK system can act. We need to continue to act with pace to realise the opportunity to set world-leading regulatory standards in areas of rapid innovation. I agree with the Council that there are substantial opportunities for the UK for medical devices and that we will need to ensure a proportionate regulatory approach to support both innovation and drive patient safety.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Lord Callanan, the Minister responsible for better regulation and regulatory reform, for his support for the Council and its reports.
As you know, I have made unleashing innovation one of my top priorities as Business Secretary and the Government’s Innovation Strategy highlights the importance of the Regulatory Horizons Council in our ambition to make the UK the world’s most agile regulatory system, focussed on continual adaptation to new products and technologies. As set out in the Government’s Plan for Growth and the Life Sciences Vision, the right regulatory system is critical for creating an environment where life sciences businesses can start, grow and invest - unlocking cutting-edge technologies, boosting competition, and easing burdens while continuing to maintain the highest safety and environmental standards.
I now look forward to your upcoming recommendations on genetic technologies, drones, and regulatory reform for pro-innovation regulatory principles. I am also eager to support your planned work later this year on neurotechnology, AI in healthcare, and hydrogen.
Yours sincerely
Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy