UK and Singapore launch negotiations for new agreement on pharmaceutical goods manufacturing
The MRA will build on the UK’s existing suite of agreements with Singapore, including the UK-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and Digital Economy Agreement.
The UK and Singapore launched negotiations for a new Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on pharmaceutical good manufacturing practice (GMP) on 22 September 2026.
The MRA will build on the UK’s existing suite of agreements with Singapore, including the UK-Singapore Free Trade Agreement and Digital Economy Agreement.
Pharmaceuticals are an important component of the expanding UK-Singapore trade relationship. Goods trade between the UK and Singapore was worth £12bn in 2025, a 24% increase from 2024. The MRA will cut costs for UK-Singapore medicines trade and build on existing UK-Singapore trade worth over £300 million in 2025, bringing particular benefits to the South East of England, East of England, and Wales.
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Health Sciences Authority Singapore are both high-trust regulators and members of the Access Consortium, a coalition aiming to promote greater regulatory collaboration. This agreement will continue to build on the strong existing bilateral cooperation between our regulators.
MRAs aim to make trade quicker and easier by removing duplicative testing or inspection requirements for specific products. A UK-Singapore MRA would enable regulators to mutually rely on lab inspection results, reducing the administrative barriers for industry. This would lead to easier and cheaper trade while maintaining the UK’s high regulatory requirements.
The launch of these negotiations supports the UK’s Trade Strategy commitment to pursue more MRAs, focusing on growth-driving sectors such as life sciences that were identified in the Industrial Strategy.
Trade Minister Lord Sarwar said:
“The UK and Singapore already have a thriving trade partnership, and this agreement will help it go even further.
“By cutting red tape and making it easier for medicines to move between our countries, we can reduce costs for businesses, support jobs across the UK, and drive growth in our world-leading life sciences sector.”
Statistical sources:
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UK-Singapore total goods trade sourced from: ONS UK total trade: all countries Q1 2026 – figures are in current prices.
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UK-Singapore medicines trade sourced from: HMRC Overseas Trade Statistics July 2026 – SITC54 Medicinal & pharmaceutical products.