UK Government publishes Life Sciences Sector Plan

Following publication of its new Industrial Strategy last month, the UK Government has issued a life sciences-specific policy paper. The Life Sciences Sector Plan provides targeted actions to support the sector in expand its growth, innovation, attraction for investment and more.

A new Life Sciences Sector Plan

The plan “is right to focus on getting substantially more public and private investment in early-stage companies, improved access to data, trials and skills to help companies grow, and more streamlined regulation and market access pathways to get innovative medicines to NHS patients,” The BioIndustry Association (BIA) Chair Dr Daniel Mahony stated.

“…The six headline actions align closely with priorities the Academy of Medical Sciences has consistently championed, including cutting clinical trials times… These measures have the potential to transform how we develop and deploy new treatments,” shared Professor Andrew Morris, CBE FRSE PMedSci, President, Academy of Medical Sciences.

Investing in innovative medicine manufacturing

“… The focus on medicines manufacturing as a key component of this strategy is vital, providing the necessary support to strengthen the UK’s position on the global stage. The allocation of £520 million in grants for expanding medicines manufacturing capabilities demonstrates the Government’s dedication to fostering a competitive and sustainable industry.

“Combined with continued private-sector investment and collaboration across the sector, this targeted support will create new opportunities for innovation, employment, and improved health outcomes,” remarked Kit Erlebach, Chairperson of the UK’s Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership (MMIP) and Senior Director, Engineering, FUJIFILM Biotechnologies UK.

However, the government’s aim to position the UK as the leading life sciences economy in Europe by the end of the decade, and the third globally by 2035 “will not be realised unless the UK changes its approach to investment in medicines”, according to the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

The plans proposed in the paper “are not enough to turn around the UK’s decline. The UK must address the core issue holding back the life sciences sector, the long-term disinvestment in innovative medicines that is increasingly preventing NHS patients from accessing medications that are available in other countries.

“For too long, the UK has sought to be the place where innovation happens, but not the place where it is used. Without change, the UK will continue the slow slide down international league tables for research, investment, and the availability of new medicines,” explained Richard Torbett, Chief Executive of the ABPI.