UK regulatory flagship launched - without a captain:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) came into being today (April 1 2003), following the merging of the Medical Devices Agency (MDA) and the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). The DoH has not yet, however, been able to find a chief executive to lead the organisation, and there is no evidence to suggest that this will happen in the foreseeable future. The DoH would not say how close they are to being able to announce an appointment; the post was advertised in October 2002. Nor has it appointed a replacement for Alasdair Breckenridge, now chairing the MHRA board, following his departure as chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM).