New CPIA Report – Regulatory Affairs Vacancies in EU and UK
Regulatory Professionals, part of the Clinical Professionals Group, collaborated with data analytics company, VacancySoft, to generate a monthly report that offers an in-depth analysis of EU and UK vacancies available in different sectors of the life sciences industry.
The CPIA report tracks how vacancies progress over time and monitor any fluctuations that indicate areas of work and locations that are beginning to be more prominent.
These reports enable Regulatory Professionals to act proactively to fresh demand but also supports candidates and clients in making informative decisions for business and career development.
This month’s report specifically looks at the Regulatory Affairs sector and notes many interesting occurrences within the levels of vacancies available over the past 12 months and focuses on any noteworthy changes that has occurred.
Clinical Professionals CEO, Yvette Cleland has provided her knowledge and insight in this edition’s foreword:
Our data sets report 2,627 regulatory affairs vacancies from March 1st 2015 to February 2017 based in the EAA or six other European nations (Belarus/Norway/Russia/Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine). The 24 months end in regulatory vacancies showing a 4.9% rise in the last 12 months. We expected to see a greater surge in vacancies because of the Revision of Medical Device Directive. This pattern has not emerged and BREXIT and its uncertainties may well have impacted here with the potential for the EMA leaving London and the corresponding 19% drop in UK regulatory vacancies in the 6 months ending Feb 2017.
UK Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for the country to seek the “closest possible regulatory equivalence” with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) post Brexit. Exactly what this means will depend on the outcome of upcoming negotiations, but Hunt is open to the UK automatically licensing drugs that win approval in the EU. One option is to have drugs and medical devices approved in the UK automatically upon them being cleared for sale in the EU. As with everything related to Brexit, the final form of the regulatory relationship will depend on the outcome of negotiations between the UK and EU
73% of all vacancies measured are clustered within UK, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and France. Denmark has seen a 13% uplift in vacancies across the last 6 months perhaps due to Denmark’s ambitions to host the EMA in Copenhagen. Whilst the UK don’t expect to remain within the EMA, it is hoped that we will continue to work very closely. If sense prevails, we have the foundations for a sensible, strong partnership going forward. Hunts believes that we could potentially have mutual recognition between the EMA and the MHRA. Interestingly in January 2017 there was a 47% surge in regulatory vacancies versus Dec 2016 across the board.
Currently 12 core companies make up the majority of live regulatory roles. GSK leads the pack with a 58% increase in regulatory vacancies March 16/17 followed by a 41% rise for Merck, 38% MSD and 32% rise for J and J. The UK never wants to be in a position similar to Canada and Australia where we are 6 to 12 months behind the EU in drugs becoming available, particularly if the research has been carried out here. The last thing we wish to become is a hostile market. Interestingly Germany has set up an innovation office to provide early regulatory advice to developers of drugs and medical devices. The office’s creation is an attempt to ensure no startup fails to efficiently advance a drug or device because of a lack of regulatory understanding. A lesson for us all perhaps?
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