European Medicines Agency to Review Nolotil Scandal The European drugs regulator, the EMA, says it is reviewing the drug Nolotil, linked to the recent scandal in Spain where the medication seems to have resulted in the deaths of a number of expats through the often-fatal condition of agranulocytosis. We have reported on this before in the … Read more
New Gallup Poll Suggests Healthcare is a ‘Main Reason’ for Americans to Move Abroad A new poll by Gallup indicates that the cost and difficulty of healthcare is a primary driver behind Americans’ desire to relocate. 70% of respondents told the poll that free healthcare was a factor in their choice of destination. Around half … Read more
EU to Harmonise Withholding Tax At the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) meeting in Brussels in mid May, financial ministers of the EU agreed to implement a proposal to streamline existing tax barriers to the capital markets union (CMU), thus harmonising tax across the EU. The move is designed in part to create more … Read more
Expats Are Stressed – But Do They Cope Better With Burnout? A recent survey, the Cigna Healthcare Vitality Study, suggests that 89% of expats are suffering from stress – a finding that probably won’t come as a great surprise. But the results indicate that expats might also be better at coping with burnout. In addition, … Read more
Expats’ Pensions Affected By Serious Fraud The Times reported in late April on a fraud that may affect £2.37 billion worth of pensions held by 10,000 British expats. An investigation by the Sunday Times has revealed that executives at financial advice firm Brite may have transferred millions of pounds from expat pensions to their own … Read more
Expats in Thailand ‘May Have Bank Accounts Investigated’ In late March, the Pattaya Times reported that UK banks may have to pass customers’ information over to the Department of Work and Pensions, as part of the data protection and digital information bill. The DWP says that there is a history of overpayments to British pensioners … Read more
Spanish Hospitals ‘Crackdown’ After Painkiller Scandal In Spain, the National Court’s Prosecutor’s Office plans to investigate potential adverse effects of the painkiller Nolotil, following several deaths among Brits and other Northern Europeans, who appear particularly susceptible to its side effects. Health Minister Mónica García described the situation as a “pharmacovigilance issue” to the press and … Read more
HMRC Complains About ‘Stealth Expats’ Although there has been a steep decline recently in the number of expats contacting HMRC with news of their move out of the UK, tax experts remain sceptical. The volume of P85 forms received by HMRC in 2019-2023 (these tell the tax authorities that someone has left the country for … Read more
Further Developments in the Nolotil Scandal Spain’s High Court has agreed to hear a lawsuit brought by campaigners on behalf of families bereaved by the controversial analgesic Nolotil. We’ve reported on this extensively in recent months, following the deaths of a number of British and Irish expats. At the end of last year, a lawsuit … Read more
InterNations: Expat Age Report As part of the annual Expat Insider survey, InterNations has recently released statistics relating to the average age of expats in 2023. The highest percentage – 18% – consists of expats over the age of 61, with those aged 36-40 in the next bracket at 14% (the average age of an … Read more