IQVIA welcomes UK minister to celebrate sector deal

To celebrate the announcement of the Second Life Sciences Sector Deal, healthcare company IQVIA welcomed the UK’s minister for Trade and Export Promotion, baroness Rona Fairhead to its London office, earlier this week. 

IQVIA recently announced that it will invest over £40 million in two projects in the UK, to help advance clinical research and drug research for personalised medicine utilising genomics.

The company will open a fourth UK prime site in the North of England for life-changing clinical research, investing £24 million across five years to drive clinical trials across the UK.

IQVIA will also invest £20 million in a new partnership with Genomics England to help researchers run studies enabling faster and more efficient drug research.

The announcement aligns with IQVIA’s mission to drive healthcare forward through clinical trials, real-world evidence, data, transformative technology and advanced analytics using artificial intelligence.

The Second Life Sciences Sector Deal builds upon a previous set of deals set out alongside the UK’s Industrial Strategy last year. Each deal aims to drive investment in the UK’s research infrastructure through partnerships with government and industry.

Baroness Fairhead met with IQVIA researchers and staff, as well as clinicians from clinical trial sites and research patients at the company’s London office.

After her visit, she said: “IQVIA are a great example of a global company who are making the most of the fantastic environment for life sciences companies in the UK.

“Our higher education system and the access to world leading research and development facilities in the UK mean that companies have the ability to make innovative advancements that can change the lives of millions of people.

“I would encourage all businesses to make the most of the measures in the Government’s Life Sciences Sector Deal, as well as the offer set out in our Export Strategy as they look to expand their overseas operations.”

Tim Sheppard, senior vice president (SVP) and general manager, Northern Europe IQVIA, said:“This is a landmark investment for IQVIA, but crucially one which will deliver help for patients across the UK, and trade benefits for the UK across the world.

“IQVIA believes in the UK’s potential to be a unique bioscience centre of excellence in life sciences, and this investment further supports the UK Government and the industry’s aim to ensure this potential is realised. That centre of excellence status provides the opportunity to cement and extend our industry’s global leadership, developing a life sciences sector that can be truly world-leading. Vitally, this is also a platform from which we can build even greater sector momentum behind the overall UK Industrial Strategy.”