A former chief executive of the United Kingdom's medicines and healthcare products regulator has been permanently banned from working as a doctor after he failed to reveal his criminal convictions for child sex offences. Dr Ian Hudson, who trained as a paediatrician and held a prominent career in the pharmaceutical industry, served as the head of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for six years.
Tribunal Rules Fitness to Practice Impaired
A Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service panel this week decisively ruled that Dr Hudson's fitness to practice medicine is fundamentally impaired. The tribunal ordered his immediate erasure from the General Medical Council's official register of doctors, which effectively prevents him from practicing medicine anywhere in the United Kingdom. The three-member tribunal heard that Hudson was convicted at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court in 2024 on two separate counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
Serious Sentence and Failure to Disclose
For these offences, Dr Hudson received a six-month custodial sentence, which was suspended for a period of eighteen months. He was also compelled to sign the sex offenders register for a full decade and was made subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Crucially, the tribunal was informed that the father-of-one breached his professional duty by failing to notify the General Medical Council of the criminal charges and subsequent convictions 'without delay', as strictly required by medical regulations.
The presiding tribunal members determined that his conduct and criminal offending resided at the upper end of the scale of seriousness. They concluded there existed a 'high risk' to public safety. Consequently, Dr Hudson was suspended from the GMC's Register with immediate effect. He will be permanently struck off if he fails to lodge a formal appeal against this outcome within the standard twenty-eight-day period.
GMC Cites Public Confidence and High Risk
The General Medical Council formally requested the tribunal to erase Dr Hudson from its Register. The regulator cited the extreme seriousness of his offences and underscored the paramount importance of maintaining public confidence in the medical profession. In its submission, the GMC argued that 'the Tribunal could not conclude that Hudson's behaviours wouldn't be repeated and that the level of risk was high with only limited insight and that remediation was limited and incomplete.' It also requested an immediate suspension order be imposed during the customary appeal window.
Hudson's Defence and Professional Background
Dr Hudson, who represented himself during the virtual hearing, insisted to the panel that 'he had good insight into his actions and had done as much to remediate as he could think of.' He stated that certain 'elements of his work required him to be on the medical register despite having no contact with patients' and asked to remain on it—albeit with specific restrictions that would prevent him from working with children in any medical capacity.
Given his significant expertise and lengthy experience, he added that 'he still had a lot to offer for the benefit of wider society and could do so without risking the public.' The GMC countered that there were no extenuating circumstances for the tribunal to consider in his favour.
Dr Hudson began his medical career in the 1980s working as a paediatrician. According to his official government biography, he spent twelve years in pharmaceutical research and development at SmithKlineBeecham. He was appointed Head of Licensing at the MHRA's predecessor, the Medicines Control Agency, in 2001. He served as the MHRA's Chief Executive from 2013 until 2019.
Post-MHRA Career and Honours
Following his departure from the regulator, Dr Hudson was awarded an OBE in the 2020 New Year Honours list. This was in recognition of his leadership and extensive work on healthcare regulation and medicines oversight. Subsequently, Hudson worked for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as its Senior Advisor for Regulatory Affairs within Integrated Development for Global Health, a role he held until 2024.
His appointment by the BMGF, which occurred immediately after his tenure as MHRA Chief Executive, was subject to a review by the Office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments. The committee imposed two specific conditions: restricting his use of privileged, non-public information acquired during his time at the MHRA and prohibiting any direct involvement in lobbying the UK government. More recently, he has worked as a director, advisor, or consultant for various health sector firms.
