The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have announced a new liaison programme to improve regulatory collaboration and support their long-standing international partnership.
The programme, announced at the DIA Global Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, will establish dedicated, reciprocal liaison officer roles within each organisation. These roles will aim to enhance day-to-day collaboration, support scientific exchange, and enable faster, more coordinated approaches to emerging regulatory challenges and decisions.
Building on the long-standing and trusted relationship between the two agencies, the initiative formalises and deepens cooperation between the UK and US across key focus areas including innovative medicines, medical devices, and emerging technologies such as AI.
By strengthening communication and sharing regulatory insight more effectively, the programme will help both organisations respond more quickly to advances in science and technology and support the development of safe, effective products for patients across both countries.
According to Lawrence Tallon, MHRA Chief Executive, the programme will 'improve how we share expertise, align on regulatory science and technology, and respond to the pace of innovation'. He added that this will 'help product developers cross the Atlantic, in both directions, because our regulatory decisions will become more closely aligned, reducing friction to market from the UK to the US and vice versa'.