Media Centre :: Press Release
01/01/02
A New Chairman Should Not Mean a New Beginning for Devices
Regulation
The ABHI (Association of British Health-Care
Industries) today responded to the announcement from the Health
Minister, Lord Philip Hunt that the new Chairman of the MHRA (The
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) will be
Professor Alistair Breckenridge, currently chairman of the
Committee on the Safety of Medicines at the MCA .
We are pleased to welcome such an eminent chairman as Professor
Breckenridge. Although the Department of Health has guaranteed that
there will be no effect on the legislation and regulatory processes
for devices or the status of the industry we remain committed to
need of device regulation to be kept separate, said Gordon Aylward,
Director-General of the ABHI.
Professor Breckenridge, a specialist in clinical pharmacology, will
no doubt be well informed on the medical devices legislation and we
shall look forward to consultation on how the merger should
proceed.
Notes for editors: * The Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI) is the lead trade association for the medical systems industry. This sector comprises not only manufacturers of medical devices, equipment and consumables, but also service companies, distributors, professional groups (such as regulatory consultants and lawyers), and other suppliers to the medical community.
* The ABHI represents approx. 200 member companies with a total domestic turnover of about £3 billion representing approx. 80% of the industry output.
* The membership currently includes several Special Interest Sections and four sectoral trade associations, which in turn have a further 400 member companies.
* Member list: www.abhi.org.uk
* The role of the Association is to:
- Advance and promote medical systems (devices, equipment, technologies and services) within the UK and globally.
- Provide a forum for policy discussion with the industry's customers, legislators, public bodies and interested groups.
For further information contact:
Daniel Jones: 020 7960 4360
Email: daniel.jones@abhi.org.uk
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