Sector responds to the government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy

Industry have responded favourably to the publication of the government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy today, which is aimed at helping the sector become an international benchmark for success.

The proposal’s laid out in the strategy were presented by Sir John Bell, who performed a comprehensive cross-sector review into the life sciences industry. This information will be used by the government in its work towards a sector deal.

According to a release on the government’s website, Bell is expected to say: “The vision for the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy is an ambitious one and sets out proposals for how the UK can continue to capitalise on its strengths in the sector, both to encourage economic growth and to improve health outcomes for patients.

“I look forward to working with government to consider the strategy’s recommendations, including those that can be taken forward as part of an ambitious sector deal.”

In response to the announcement and publication of the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy, Mike Thompson, chief executive of the ABPI, stated: “Today’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy is an impressive document which captures the importance of our sector to a successful post-Brexit Britain. Sir John Bell is to be congratulated in pulling together a complex and diverse sector and showing the benefits to the UK of getting us all to align.

“We want the UK to be one of the best places in the world for discovering, developing and adopting new medicines and this strategy provides the focus for all life science partners to work together to deliver exciting medical innovations for patients.

“The NHS is rightly at the heart of the strategy: If it can build on its unique capability to use health data in research and development and address the UK’s long-standing challenge of adopting new treatments, it will create a virtuous circle for all and deliver massive health and economic benefits to the UK.

“We look forward to working with Government and other partners to implement these recommendations — including through a sector deal with the bio-pharmaceutical industry and a voluntary agreement on UK medicines policy between industry and the Department of Health. These measures will provide confidence for global companies to invest in the UK during and beyond Brexit.”

UK BioIndustry Association (BIA) CEO and Life Sciences Industrial Strategy Board member Steve Bates said: “It is fantastic to see the publication of a life sciences industrial strategy that can act as a springboard to an early sector deal for the life sciences industry. The BIA has long called for a revived industrial strategy to maintain and build investment into the UK and grow and scale the UK’s innovative bioscience companies. We stand ready to continue engagement with government to ensure that this strategy can pave the way for an impactful sector deal that can help deliver the BIA’s vision to establish the UK as the third global cluster for life sciences.”

Furthermore, the government has announced funding plans for the sector to include a new £13 million funding competition for a medicines manufacturing centre, a £66 million investment in a vaccines development and manufacturing centre, a £30 million investment in cell and gene therapy treatment centres, a £12 million cell and gene therapy investment in Stevenage and £25 million to support SMEs and boost innovation.

“These new investments and funding competitions bring to life the calls the BIA has made, both individually and through collaborations such as the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership, to grow our industry’s future,” Bates added. “It is great to see SMEs front and centre in today’s announcements.”

The representative for the BIA at the launch of the strategy, Jane Osbourn (BIA chair), said: “For the sector to achieve its potential and ambition, a sea change in the levels of scale-up capital and fiscal support is required. It is great to see many of the necessary actions the BIA has called for in this strategy, from reform of Entrepreneurs Relief to making R&D tax credits work better for SMEs. These recommendations, alongside the focus of the forthcoming Patient Capital Review, provide a great foundation to take the UK’s life sciences sector to the next level.”

Andy Evans, chair of MMIP and head of Macclesfield Site at AstraZeneca, added: "These tangible commitments send a strong signal that the UK is open for business and an attractive destination for medicines development and manufacturing.

"We look forward to working with government and other partners on the development of these projects as we aim to build confidence for global companies so that they continue to invest in the UK.

"We hope that the second phase of the government’s Life Sciences Industrial Strategy investments maximise the benefits that the medicines manufacturing sector can bring to Britain.

"Investing in manufacturing centres for complex medicines and packaging technologies will deliver not just economic rewards but also health benefits, speeding up access to innovative and high quality medicines for patients and the NHS."