The Department of Health and Social Care has appointed Dr June Raine as permanent chief executive of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, formalising interim arrangements in place for more than a year.
Raine has worked for the MHRA and its predecessor organisations since 1985. Before becoming interim CEO in September 2019 she was the agency’s director of vigilance and risk management of medicines.
Health minister Lord James Bethell said Raine’s “strong leadership” during the pandemic had allowed the UK to become the first country in the world to authorise Covid-19 vaccines.
“The MHRA is widely regarded as one of the best regulators in the world with the highest standards of safety and I’m delighted to confirm Dr Raine’s appointment as CEO,” he said.
“I’m confident Dr Raine will build on MHRA’s success during the pandemic to make sure NHS patients are among the first to receive cutting-edge treatments in the future.”
DHSC said Raine had “played a crucial part” in setting up rolling reviews during the pandemic that ensured the UK was the first nation in the world to authorise the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford University/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines.
It added that her longer-term work had helped improve patient safety and patient engagement and contributed to the UK’s status as a world-leading destination for life sciences and the development of cutting-edge innovation in medicines and medical devices.