Fresh backing for the sector unlocked by the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund.<\/p>\n
\t3 companies are investing over\u00a0\u00a380 million, bringing total investment in UK life sciences to \u00a3600 million this year and advancing\u202fthe Government\u2019s Life Sciences Sector Plan
\n\tInvestments\u202facross the UK, from Birmingham to Barnstaple,\u202fwill\u202fdeliver vaccines and medicines for conditions such as cancer and bipolar disorder
\n\tNew backing will\u202fbolster the country\u2019s supply of vital medicines and ensure reliable access to the newest and best treatments, as well as supporting highly skilled jobs<\/p>\n
People across the UK\u202fliving with\u00a0health\u00a0conditions like\u00a0bipolar\u202fdisorder, cancer and neurodegenerative conditions\u202fwill\u202fbe given better access to vital medicines, through more than\u202f\u00a380\u202fmillion\u00a0of\u00a0investment\u202finto the\u202fUK\u2019s\u202fworld-leading\u202flife sciences sector.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
These investments, announced yesterday\u00a0(Tuesday 14 April)\u00a0by the\u202fScience\u202fand Technology\u202fSecretary Liz Kendall, were made possible by the government\u2019s Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF)\u00a0and will support\u00a0over 500\u00a0jobs. It takes the amount invested so far this year in UK life sciences to \u00a3600 million.<\/p>\n
This backing will strengthen regional clusters, create new career\u00a0opportunities across the country and help forge a new era for UK life sciences, which\u00a0is on track to be\u00a0boosted by \u00a31 billion\u00a0through the Fund\u00a0by the summer.<\/p>\n
The news follows finalisation earlier this month of\u00a0a\u00a0partnership\u00a0which makes the UK the first country in the world to secure 0% tariffs on pharmaceutical exports to the US. The\u00a0arrangement\u00a0makes future\u00a0life sciences\u00a0investment into the country more attractive, delivering on a key pillar of the Life Sciences Sector Plan as part of the Modern Industrial Strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u202fpackage includes\u202fa\u202fmore than\u00a0\u00a345 million investment from Accord\u00a0\u2013 one of the largest suppliers of oncology and chemotherapy medicines in Europe.\u00a0The investment in the company\u2019s Barnstaple site will boost local production of novel treatments, including medicines for people living with bipolar disorder, alongside the site\u2019s historic\u00a0expertise\u00a0in generic medicines.\u00a0This will secure\u202fthe\u202fUK\u2019s\u202fmanufacturing and supply of medicines\u202fthat make up\u202f9% of all NHS prescriptions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Accord\u2019s latest investment\u00a0represents\u00a0a significant boost for\u202fNorth\u202fDevon. The site acts as one of Accord\u2019s hubs for manufacturing, testing, and distribution across Europe,\u00a0and\u00a0is one of Barnstaple\u2019s most important employers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Science and Technology Secretary\u202fLiz\u202fKendall yesterday said:\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n By manufacturing more medicines in this country we can make sure more people get the vital treatments they need. These investments will make a real difference to people across the country and show our Life Sciences Sector Plan is bearing fruit.\u00a0<\/p>\n We are delivering the advanced treatments that patients need,\u202fgrowing\u202four economy,\u202fand\u202fcreating and protecting\u202fhighly\u202fskilled jobs\u202ffor people across the\u202fUK.<\/p>\n Dr\u00a0Zubir\u00a0Ahmed, Health Innovation and Safety Minister, yesterday\u00a0said:\u00a0<\/p>\n I have seen first-hand the difference latest treatments can make to a patient\u2019s life. These investments mean more people living with conditions like bipolar disorder will benefit from cutting-edge medicines –\u00a0developed and manufactured right here in Britain.<\/p>\n This is the Life Sciences Sector Plan and 10 Year Health Plan in action – giving confidence to medical innovators across the globe to deliver, scale and grow in the UK, creating highly skilled, well paid jobs and strengthening our medical supply chains in the process.<\/p>\n Accord\u2019s investment\u202fis among the latest in a series of\u202fprivate\u202finvestments to be unlocked by the\u202fgovernment\u2019s Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund\u00a0(LSIMF), which is worth up to \u00a3520 million and\u00a0is\u00a0delivering against 1 of the 6 headline commitments within the Life Sciences Sector Plan.\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In a boost to the Midlands\u2019 credentials as a life sciences powerhouse, the University of Birmingham\u2019s Precision Health Technologies Accelerator (PHTA) will invest\u00a0\u00a310 million\u00a0in a programme to\u00a0establish\u00a0a new near-patient biomanufacturing facility. This will include 3 clean rooms and staffing dedicated to producing medicines and vaccines for patients and clinical trials,\u00a0giving the UK greater flexibility to respond rapidly to future health emergencies.\u00a0<\/p>\n The investment will also accelerate the development of advanced cell and gene therapies and\u00a0mRNA\u00a0vaccines, which is already well underway in Birmingham. Alongside University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, the University is leading Europe\u2019s first trial of a personalised\u00a0mRNA\u00a0vaccine for pancreatic cancer \u2013 one of the most challenging types of cancer to treat. In this ground-breaking trial, vaccines are tailored to each individual patient\u2019s tumour, training their immune systems to recognise and destroy any cancer cells that\u00a0remain\u00a0after surgery to prevent recurrence. The new\u00a0PHTA\u00a0facility means the \u201ctumour-to-vaccine\u201d journey will be faster than ever before, speeding up treatment time for patients.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Elsewhere,\u00a0Codis\u00a0has committed to investing in a new facility in Haverhill, Suffolk, using advanced spray-drying technology to support the development of next-generation therapies. This investment will help address conditions such as cancer and neurodegenerative\u00a0diseases, while enabling partners to bring more medicines to market.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Haverhill site is the centre of excellence for\u00a0Codis\u2019\u00a0production of spray dried Sevelamer, used for the management of hyperphosphatemia – particularly important for patients with chronic kidney disease, one of the UK\u2019s most significant long term health conditions\u00a0affecting 2% of adults aged 35 and over<\/a>.\u00a0With\u00a0nearly 3 decades of spray-drying\u00a0expertise, the team supports customers across international markets.\u00a0<\/p>\n The investment will create 29 new jobs and safeguard a further 160 roles, with the site\u00a0benefiting\u00a0from its proximity to Cambridge\u2019s world\u00a0leading science community. It will also support\u00a0Codis\u2019 continued position as a world leader, with Haverhill installing the UK\u2019s only commercial-scale, solvent-capable GEA PSD 4 spray dryer. This advanced technology improves the\u00a0bioavailability\u00a0of difficult-to-manufacture medicines, helping to increase accessibility for patients worldwide.\u00a0<\/p>\n The new investments come alongside an independent evaluation by Ipsos\u00a0confirming the strong impact of government investment in UK life sciences manufacturing.\u00a0Evaluation of the Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund and the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund<\/a>. The projects supported by the LSIMF and its predecessor fund (the Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund) between 2021 and 2023 helped unlock \u00a312 of private investment for every \u00a31 of grant funding. The report shows that government support is playing a key role in keeping major manufacturing investments in the UK, supporting jobs and growth, and helping the country prepare for future health emergencies.\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Paul Tredwell, Chief Executive Officer,\u202fAccord yesterday\u00a0said:\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The LSIMF grant has helped to unlock new investment in our Barnstaple site which\u00a0remains\u00a0a strategic asset to the UK, providing 9% of all NHS medicines.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The investment will enable the manufacture of 2 new innovative medicines, helping to secure the sustainability of the site and its broader contribution to UK health resilience.<\/p>\n Professor Gino Martini, Chief Executive Officer,\u00a0PHTA, yesterday\u00a0said:<\/p>\n The UK, and particularly the West Midlands, urgently needs GMP cleanroom facilities to support the production of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products and vaccines, including cell therapies and\u00a0mRNA\u00a0vaccines, as well as medicines for clinical trials. This new investment will allow us to achieve our point-of-care manufacturing ambitions, ensuring patients get access to the latest, most innovative medicines. Having these facilities in place will also build resilience into the NHS, ensuring future pandemic preparedness.<\/p>\n Professor Neil Hanley, Birmingham Health Partners Executive Director and Lead for Birmingham Health Innovation Campus yesterday\u00a0said:<\/p>\n This is tremendous news that underpins the industry-facing strength of\u00a0health\u00a0and life\u00a0sciences in Birmingham and the West Midlands. Through this award, we bring to life the government priority of\u00a0near-patient\u00a0biomanufacturing of cell,\u00a0gene\u00a0and vaccine therapies, all aligned to our tremendous capability in decentralised clinical trials. Delivering the government\u2019s Life Sciences Sector Plan and the NHS 10-Year Plan is vital. It is our obligation that Birmingham\u00a0remains\u00a0and grows as a destination for this work.<\/p>\n Nicolas Fortin, Chief Executive Officer,\u00a0Codis\u00a0yesterday\u00a0said:<\/p>\n This milestone marks the next phase in\u00a0Codis\u2019 evolution as a global leader in spray drying and ASD. The\u00a0PSD4\u00a0significantly expands our ASD capacity and gives customers dedicated commercial\u2011scale throughput to bring more life\u2011changing medicines to market. We are grateful for the support of the UK government through the LSIMF, which enables us to accelerate this project and continue investing at our Haverhill site.<\/p>\n To further strengthen life sciences investment in the UK, the government is also announcing a new Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio.\u202f\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Building on existing funds like LSIMF, the scheme will work with large companies prepared to invest over \u00a3250 million in life sciences projects. Offering Trusted Trader status, this will\u00a0allow for\u00a0streamlined\u00a0applications for financial support, tailored regional and national\u00a0backing,\u00a0and sustained\u00a0engagement with\u00a0UK Ministers. The regional support package – initially piloted in Liverpool and Manchester \u2013 has already brought together deep local knowledge and the unique strengths of each\u00a0city,\u00a0to show how greater collaboration can attract new transformational investments to the\u00a0North West\u00a0and beyond.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, yesterday\u00a0said:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Liverpool City Region is already one of the UK\u2019s leading clusters for innovative health and life sciences. Being home to the world\u2019s first dedicated school of tropical medicine, and now a Life Sciences Innovation Zone – which is set to unlock up to \u00a3800 million in public and private investment and create 8,000 high-quality jobs –\u00a0meaning that we are building on more than a century of expertise<\/a>.<\/p>\n Being chosen to pilot the new Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio is a powerful endorsement of our strengths and capability to deliver transformational projects at scale. It gives us the platform to go further and faster – attracting major global investment, accelerating\u00a0cutting-edge\u00a0research, and ensuring that scientific breakthroughs translate into well-paid, high skilled jobs and real improvements in people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham yesterday\u00a0said:\u202f<\/p>\n Greater Manchester has become the UK\u2019s fastest growing economy and we\u2019ve attracted more foreign direct investment than anywhere outside London. Life sciences has been one of the key sectors behind that growth, and in the past year alone we\u2019ve seen companies like IQVIA,\u00a0Convatec\u00a0and Vortex Biotech\u00a0establishing\u00a0themselves here.\u00a0<\/p>\n We can offer access to world-class research, innovation\u00a0assets\u00a0and a skilled workforce, all centred around our Oxford Road Corridor, and supported by a uniquely joined-up approach between our universities, businesses, public\u00a0sector\u00a0and the NHS. This pilot presents a major opportunity to build on this success, by more effectively communicating our offer to potential investors and working more closely with the Office for Life Sciences to attract leading life sciences businesses.<\/p>\n These announcements follow\u00a0a flurry of\u00a0good news for\u00a0Life Sciences investments in\u00a0recent\u00a0weeks.\u00a0This includes\u00a0news\u202fthat\u202fNorgine\u202fwill inject\u202fmore than\u00a0\u00a320 million\u202fto expand its site in\u202fHengoed, Wales<\/a>\u00a0This will boost production for MOVICOL\u00ae, a laxative\u202fdesignated\u202fas an essential medicine during the pandemic. The investment will create 44 jobs and protect 112 more at one of the company\u2019s main facilities for producing gastrointestinal medicine.<\/p>\n Norgine\u2019s investment builds\u202fon\u202fthe\u202fmomentum of the growing life sciences sector in Wales, which generates more than \u00a33.5 billion in turnover every year and employs over 13,000 people across more than 280\u202fcompanies.\u202f<\/p>\n Saulo Martiniano, Chief Operating Officer,\u00a0Norgine\u202fyesterday\u00a0said:\u202f\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n We are grateful to the UK government\u2019s Office for Life Sciences for supporting this investment through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund.<\/p>\n By expanding and enhancing our\u00a0Hengoed\u00a0facilities, we are increasing capacity, strengthening quality\u00a0capabilities\u00a0and investing in more energy efficient production, helping to bolster the resilience of important medicines supplied across the UK and Europe.<\/p>\n With these enhanced capabilities in Wales, alongside our site in Dreux, France, and our network of manufacturing partners across Europe,\u00a0Norgine\u00a0is well placed to navigate uncertainty and deliver medicines efficiently and consistently for years to come.<\/p>\n Other investments announced\u202fin recent weeks include:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \tUCB committing \u00a3500\u202fmillion to their new\u00a0R&D\u00a0and manufacturing hub for biologics in Surrey, supporting up to\u202f240\u202fjobs The scheme also supported over \u00a330\u00a0million\u00a0of investment in 2025.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Notes to Editors<\/p>\n The\u202fLife Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF)\u202fis\u202fa cornerstone of the government\u2019s commitment to strengthening the UK\u2019s health sector and 1 of the 6 headline commitments within the\u00a0Life Sciences Sector Plan<\/a>, a key pillar of the government\u2019s\u00a0Industrial Strategy<\/a>.\u202f<\/p>\n The investments announced yesterday are subject to\u202ffinal\u202fagreement on terms and conditions.<\/p>\n Accord\u202fHealthcare is one of the largest providers of off-patent medicines with one of the largest\u202fmanufacturing footprints in the UK. This investment is the company\u2019s latest\u202fcollaboration with\u202fgovernment, adding to their\u00a0previous\u00a0\u00a350 million investment\u202fwhich was supported through the government\u2019s previous Biomanufacturing Fund.<\/p>\n The Life Sciences Large Investment Portfolio (LSLIP) is a new flagship scheme and a commitment within the Life Sciences Sector Plan. It is designed to\u00a0leverage\u00a0>\u00a3250 million investment portfolios into the UK.<\/p>\n DSIT media enquiries<\/p>\n
\n\tAn \u00a311 million investment from\u202fOrchard, announced\u202fduring\u202fthe prime minister\u2019s\u202fvisit to China and Japan in January.\u00a0<\/p>\n