News story: MHRA chair recognised in 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours

We are delighted that the chair of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, has been appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE).

The honour, which was announced in the 2017 Birthday Honours List over the weekend, is for services to the safety of medicines, healthcare and innovation and comes after more than three decades at the forefront of innovation, development and leadership in the public health sector.

Since taking up the position of chair at MHRA in 2014 Sir Michael has overseen the Agency’s work as an effective regulator of medicines and medical devices across the UK. He has promoted the first-class science and research carried out in each of the Agency’s centres; the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and MHRA.

Professor Sir Michael Rawlins said:

It is a tremendous honour to receive this prestigious award, and is a great recognition of the work the Agency carries out to protect public health.

Innovation has been a key focus for the Agency over the past few years with the launch of our Innovation Office and the early access to medicines scheme (EAMS), and I have been proud to have been part of this beneficial development in the health sector.

Background

1. Sir Michael Rawlins, currently chair of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and also UK Biobank, was the founding Chair of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Under his leadership, NICE became an internationally renowned organisation, pioneering processes which have been copied the world over. It has facilitated faster NHS uptake of new technologies and procedures, offering opportunities to patients in a way not experienced before. He has previously served as Chair of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and President of the Royal Society of Medicine.

2. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks. MHRA is a centre of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency which also includes the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC) and the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD). MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health.