Professor Anthony Harnden appointed as the new Chair of the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)

Professor Anthony Harnden has been appointed as the new Chair of the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Anthony is a Professor of Primary Care in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford, having first joined the department in 1992. Until the end of December 2024, he is a registrant Council member of the General Medical Council and Chair of the Renumeration Committee. Anthony was a General Practitioner for 33 years in Wheatley, Oxfordshire and worked for the NHS for 40 years. He was also previously Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and played a key role in ensuring public trust and patient safety during the distribution of the Covid vaccine.

He succeeds former MHRA chair Stephen Lightfoot, who served from September 2020 and stepped down in 2023.

The chair will play a key role in driving forward the strategic direction of MHRA to maintain the UK as a global centre of excellence in life sciences, in the best interests of patients and the public.

Health Minister, Karin Smyth, said:

‘I am delighted to welcome Anthony, who brings a wealth of regulatory and healthcare experience. The MHRA plays a vital role in ensuring the safe use of medicines, medical devices and blood transfusions across the UK and I look forward to working with Anthony as we reform our health service and make it fit for the future.’

Read the full story on the the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences website.