Dr Alison Cave

Who Dr Alison Cave is

Dr Alison Cave joined the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in July 2021 as Chief Safety Officer, with responsibility for the safety of medicines and devices in the UK; she sits on the Executive Committee and is a Board Director of the Agency. She is a pharmacologist with a PhD in biochemistry whose regulatory career began at the Medicines Control Agency and continued in senior roles within the MHRA's Vigilance and Risk Management of Medicines Group and at the European Medicines Agency (EMA). She also served as Head of Cellular, Developmental and Physiological Sciences at the Wellcome Trust, and immediately before joining the MHRA was an Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Director at UK Research and Innovation, where she led two major health data-driven challenges representing over £285m of government investment. Cave has been publicly associated with the MHRA's Yellow Card Biobank—a collaboration with Genomics England aimed at understanding how patients' genetic makeup affects their risk from adverse drug reactions—and has issued public guidance on medicines including valproate, calling on healthcare professionals to implement safety measures to protect patients.

References for this biography

1. 1.MHRA announces appointment of Chief Safety Officer – GOV.UK — Appointment as Chief Safety Officer, background as pharmacologist with PhD in biochemistry, prior roles at Medicines Control Agency, MHRA, EMA, Wellcome Trust, and UKRI
2. 2.Dr Alison Cave – GOV.UK — Current role title, organisation, and career background
3. 3.Yellow Card Biobank – MHRA — Yellow Card Biobank initiative: MHRA/Genomics England collaboration on pharmacogenomics and adverse drug reactions
4. 4.MHRA advises men taking valproate and their partners to use effective contraception – GOV.UK — Cave quoted as Chief Safety Officer issuing public safety guidance on valproate
5. 5.The role of genetics in medicine safety – MedRegs (MHRA blog) — Cave's public advocacy for pharmacogenomics and the Yellow Card Biobank as tools to minimise adverse drug reactions
6. 6.MHRA's new Chief Safety Officer, Dr Alison Cave, starts vital vigilance work today — £285m UKRI health data challenge figure; start date of July 2021

Notable achievements

• Led the MHRA's establishment of the Yellow Card Biobank, a joint initiative with Genomics England to investigate how patients' genetic makeup affects their risk from adverse drug reactions. Source ↗
• At UK Research and Innovation, led two major health data-driven challenges representing over £285m of government investment before joining the MHRA. Source ↗
• Issued public guidance advising men taking valproate and their partners to use effective contraception following new data on neurodevelopmental risks in children. Source ↗

What Dr Alison Cave has said

• “Patient safety is our top priority and the use of surgical mesh to treat stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse has been subject to restrictions since July 10 2018.”

  chief safety officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) · Women's health & gynaecology · 30 Sept 2026 · Vaginal mesh material degrades within 60 days of implantation in pelvis – study ↗

• “Patient safety is our top priority and the use of surgical mesh to treat stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse has been subject to restrictions since July 10 2018.”

  chief safety officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency · Women's health & gynaecology · 30 Sept 2026 · Vaginal mesh degrades within 60 days - study ↗

• “Buying botulinum toxin outside of legitimate medical channels significantly increases the risk of getting a falsified or unsafe product. If you're offered treatment without a consultation, in someone's kitchen, or at a suspiciously cheap price, treat that as a red flag.”

  Chief Safety Officer, MHRA · Cosmetic procedures & aesthetics · 29 Sept 2026 · Regulator cracks down on ‘dodgy Botox’ after 41 people hospitalised ↗

• “Botulinum toxin products are effective for a number of different medical and cosmetic purposes when used correctly. However, these strengthened warnings are an important reminder that, in rare cases, serious side effects can occur.”

  MHRA Chief Safety Officer · Cosmetic procedures & aesthetics · 29 Sept 2026 · Updated warnings for botulinum toxin products following rare cases of botulism ↗

• “Botulinum toxin products are effective for a number of different medical and cosmetic purposes when used correctly. However, these strengthened warnings are an important reminder that, in rare cases, serious side effects can occur. It is vital that healthcare professionals and patients are aware of the symptoms of botulism and act quickly if they arise as this is a medical emergency.”

  MHRA's chief safety officer · Cosmetic procedures & aesthetics · 29 Sept 2026 · Nurses alerted to strengthened safety warnings for botulinum toxin type A products ↗

• “Healthcare professionals and patients should be aware of the symptoms of botulism and act quickly. Doctors should be ready to provide appropriate treatments, which can include giving antitoxin.”

  MHRA chief safety officer · Cosmetic procedures & aesthetics · 29 Sept 2026 · MHRA Warns of Botulism Risk After Botulinum Toxin Use ↗

• “Our sincere sympathies are with the family of the individual concerned. Patient safety is our top priority and no medicine would be approved unless it met our expected standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.”

  Chief Safety Officer, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) · Women's health & gynaecology · 29 Sept 2026 · Approved weight-loss drug contributed to UK nurse’s death, report says ↗

• “Untreated pain and fever can pose risks to the unborn baby, so it is important to manage these symptoms with the recommended treatment”

  chief safety officer at the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) · Learning disability & autism · 27 Aug 2026 · Wes Streeting rejects Trump claim linking paracetamol and autism ↗

• “untreated pain and fever can pose risks to the unborn baby and it was important to manage these symptoms with recommended treatments”

  chief safety officer at the MHRA · Learning disability & autism · 27 Aug 2026 · ‘Pay no attention’: global health agencies dismiss false Trump claim on everyday painkillers ↗

Where Dr Alison Cave has been quoted

1. 'Medication turned my quiet dad into a hyper-sexualised gambler'bbc.co.uk · 4 Oct 2026
2. Vaginal mesh material degrades within 60 days of implantation in pelvis – studytheboltonnews.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
3. Vaginal mesh degrades within 60 days - studybbc.co.uk · 30 Sept 2026
4. Regulator cracks down on ‘dodgy Botox’ after 41 people hospitalisedmamabella.uk · 29 Sept 2026
5. Updated warnings for botulinum toxin products following rare cases of botulismgov.uk · 29 Sept 2026
6. Nurses alerted to strengthened safety warnings for botulinum toxin type A productsnursinginpractice.com · 29 Sept 2026
7. MHRA Warns of Botulism Risk After Botulinum Toxin Usemedscape.com · 29 Sept 2026
8. Approved weight-loss drug contributed to UK nurse’s death, report saystheguardian.com · 29 Sept 2026
9. Wes Streeting rejects Trump claim linking paracetamol and autismtheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
10. ‘Pay no attention’: global health agencies dismiss false Trump claim on everyday painkillerstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Cervical Cancer Screening: Analyzing Recent Guideline Changes Against Current Trends of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Risk FactorsCureus
• Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: biotech firm eyes cervical cancer test breakthroughSouth China Morning Post
• Your strength workout can double as cardio – experts explain how to get both benefitsWomen's Health

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.gov.uk/government/people/alison-cave
• Press office emailnewscentre@mhra.gov.ukpublished here ↗
• Press office phone020 3080 7651published here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.