The Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulates medicines, medical devices and blood components for the UK. It ensures patients receive safe and effective medical treatment. It helps improve public health by identifying innovations that can be made to medical products and working with the government and other healthcare bodies to implement them. It also has a valuable role in consumer safety beyond the mainstream medical sector, as it checks the legal compliance of e-cigarettes and authorises traditional and herbal medicinal products for marketing in the UK. It was established in 2003 through a merger of the Medicines Control Agency and the Medical Devices Agency. This was intended to streamline the UK’s response to regulatory issues. Following Brexit, it has taken on additional responsibilities that were previously done by EU institutions. It is sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
