Hello and welcome to the Intelligence on Economist Radio. I'm your host, Jason Palmer.

Every weekday we provide a fresh perspective on the events shaping your world.

Yesterday, big pharmaceutical companies were grilled by Senate lawmakers about the

exorbitant cost of many drugs. A partial solution to that problem would be repurposing,

existing drugs in new ways. But the industry and governments have to get the incentives

right. And in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it's extremely important that the dead

are adequately mourned, with days of crying and wailing. That creates an odd market opportunity,

mourners for hire.

First, statement, the Prime Minister.

There would be chaos if the United Kingdom were to crash out of the European Union without

a proper divorce deal. But after months of widespread worry about that no deal breaks it,

it seems to have been avoided. For now anyway.

With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the government's work

to secure a withdrawal agreement that can command the support of this House.

The deadline to agree a deal with the EU is in just over a month.

Prime Minister Theresa May has told parliamentarians that if they don't vote in favour of

the agreement she's already negotiated, she will empower them to vote for a delay to

Brexit.

So the United Kingdom will only leave without a deal on the 29th of March if there is

explicit consent in the House for that outcome.

Avoiding a no deal scenario is one of the few aspects of Brexit for which there is a strong

parliamentary majority. That is not the case for Mrs May's own deal, which she's still

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