-
new research shows UK life sciences sector is
soaring with record turnover of over £70 billion
and SMEs accounting
for 82% of businesses and 24% of all UK life sciences
employment
-
in 2017, the UK received the highest level of
life science foreign direct investment projects in Europe
- the highest in 7 years
-
the new Council follows on from the
transformative Life Sciences
Sector Deal, part of the government’s
modern Industrial
Strategy, which drew substantial investment from 25
global companies
The inaugural meeting of the new UK Life Sciences Council
takes place today (16 May 2018). Business Secretary
and Health and Social Care
Secretary will chair the Council,
which will also be attended by a range of industry experts,
including Pascal Soriot from AstraZeneca who will co-chair,
J&J, MSD and ABPI. The main objective of the Council is
to ensure the UK continues to be a global leader in life
sciences.
This comes as new research published today shows the UK
continues to have one of the most productive health and
life sciences sectors in the world. Health and life
sciences are worth over £70 billion to the economy and
provide jobs for almost 241,000 people across the country.
The group will focus on progress in delivering the modern
Industrial Strategy’s Life Sciences Sector
Deal, launched in 2017, which will support the sector
to develop and launch the next generation of medicines,
technologies and diagnostics and provide better care and
treatments for millions of patients.
The fourth annual Life Science
Competitiveness Indicators report also shows that
the UK continues to attract significant private equity
investment, with over £660 million invested in 67 UK
projects in 2016. The UK also accounts for 12% of total
life sciences academic citations and 18% of the most-cited
publications, the 2nd highest share above China, Germany
and Canada.
Prime Minister said:
I welcome the first meeting of the new Life Sciences
Council today, which will drive research, development and
innovation in this thriving sector far into the future.
Further advancing the UK’s global leadership in life
sciences is a key part of our modern Industrial Strategy
- our plan for high-quality jobs and growth across the
whole country.
Business Secretary said:
From Edward Jenner developing the first successful small
pox vaccine to Rosalind Franklin providing breakthrough
research on the structure of DNA, UK life sciences have
changed the world for the better.
We are extraordinarily well placed to play a leading role
in this revolution in the life sciences. Our universities
and research institutes rank among the best in the world,
nurturing and attracting some of the most inventive
people on earth.
Record turnover and foreign direct investment is a vote
of confidence in the UK which we will build on as we work
towards making Britain the best place in the world to
develop and launch innovative medicines, technologies and
diagnostics to help people live longer, healthier and
happier lives.
Pascal Soriot, industry co-chair of the Council, said:
I am pleased to co-chair the new Life Sciences Council at
an exciting but challenging time for the UK industry.
With all the uncertainties of Brexit and patient access
to medical innovations, the successful implementation of
an ambitious industrial strategy is critical to ensure
Britain remains a pioneer in life sciences and the sector
continues to drive economic growth.
With 2 Secretaries of State and industry leaders
representing medical devices, biotech as well as
pharmaceuticals, the new Life Sciences Council brings
together expertise across UK life sciences to provide the
strategic direction needed to thrive in the competitive
global environment.
International Trade Secretary, , said:
The UK continues to be a highly attractive destination
for inward investment and global talent. With more than
5,000 life sciences companies and a strong culture of
scientific innovation, our offer to the world as a global
partner for investment and trade is clear.
As the UK’s international economic department, the
Department for International Trade promotes investment
and export opportunities. We invite healthcare and life
sciences innovators to work with us, driving growth in
every part of the country.
Health Minister Lord O’Shaughnessy said:
The UK has always been at the forefront of scientific
innovation and research, developing ground-breaking
treatments that can transform patients’ lives.
The world-leading 100,000 Genomes Project, and
the NHS Genomic
Medicine Service that launches this autumn, are fantastic
examples of our ambition to pioneer the most advanced
approaches to healthcare in this country.
As part of the Life Sciences Sector Deal, which brought
together significant commitments and investments into the
UK by 25 global organisations from across the sector, the
government has worked closely with industry to deliver its
strategic vision and in the last 6 months has launched
major projects, including:
- allocating £30 million from a £100 million study to
sequence the UK Biobank, providing a unique resource to
identify new drug therapies and redefine the gold standard
for genome sequencing
- announcing the world’s first study to establish centres
of excellence in digital pathology and medical imaging in
the NHS,
which when set up will, using the digital images generated,
help develop artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms for
more accurate diagnosis of diseases, potentially
improving NHS efficiencies
- in the process of creating up to 5 Digital Innovation
Hubs across the UK, which will support the development of
algorithms and machine learning for real-world studies and
clinical trials. Being delivered by Professor Andrew
Morris, Director of Health Data Research UK (HDRUK), the
Hubs will enhance the UK’s global competitiveness in
clinical trials and creating a unique business environment
- investing £65 million through the Industrial
Strategy Challenge Fund to establish three
advanced therapy treatment centres across the country,
which will support medicine manufacturing and provide
industry with access to cutting-edge technology to
commercialise and develop innovations at scale
The modern Industrial Strategy sets out a long-term plan to
boost the productivity and earning power of people
throughout the UK. It sets out how we are building a
Britain fit for the future – how we will help businesses
create better, higher-paying jobs in every part of the UK
with investment in skills, industries and infrastructure.
The Industrial Strategy committed to increased government
investment in R&D to 2.4%
of GDP by 2027 and 3%
over the longer term – delivering an estimated increase of
£80 billion over the next 10 years. The Life Sciences
Sector Deal set out plans for the Health Research Authority
to speed up approvals for clinical trials.
Additional quotes:
ABPI CEO, Mike Thompson said:
Global pharmaceutical companies are excited about UK
science, our world leading Universities and unique
research centres like the Crick Institute.
The Life Sciences Council signals our joint commitment to
implementing the Life Sciences Industrial Strategy to
ensure the UK becomes a home for even more global
companies to research, develop, manufacture and launch
the next generation of medicines and vaccines.
Michelle Brennan, EMEA Company Group Chair, Johnson &
Johnson Medical Device Companies said:
I am delighted to be joining the Life Sciences Council,
supporting the implementation of the Life Sciences
Industrial Strategy in collaboration with our government
partners. The Strategy is key to the UK remaining an
attractive place for the Life Sciences industry to invest
and to ensure that patients continue to benefit from the
latest medical innovations. The NHShas an important role
to play in the success of the strategy, with the
potential to become an early adopter of new technologies
and an engine for innovation and research. Johnson &
Johnson is committed to working in partnership with both
the NHS and government
to make their ambition a reality.
Phil Thomson, President, Global Affairs, GSK said:
Bringing government, the NHS and industry
together through the Council is an important step in
ensuring the UK remains globally competitive in life
sciences. We must all continue to work together through
the Brexit negotiations to ensure the supply of
medicines, regulatory alignment and the needs of patients
remain priorities.
Notes to editors
Full list of Council attendees
Government
-
, Business Secretary
-
, Health and Social Care
Secretary
-
, International Trade
Secretary
- Lord O’Shaughnessy, Parliament Under Secretary of State
for Health
- Simon Stevens, NHS England
- Kristen Mcleod, Office for Life Sciences
- Steve Oldfield, Department of Health and Social Care
(DHSC)
- Sir Mark Walport, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
- Matthew Speers, Department for International Trade
(DIT)
-
, Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS)
-
, Department of
Health & Social Care (DHSC)
Industry
- Pascal Soriot, CEO of AstraZeneca
- Jean-Christophe Tellier, CEO and Chairman of the
Executive Committee of UCB
- Mike Thompson, Chief Executive of the Association of
the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)
- Philip Thomson, President of GSK
- Peter Ellingworth, Chief Executive of Association of
British Healthcare Industries (ABHI)
- Dr Roger Perlmutter, Executive Vice President of Merck
& Co
- Michelle Brennan, President of Johnson & Johnson
Group
- John Young, Group President of Pfizer Innovative Health
- Steve Bates, CEO of the UK BioIndustry Association
- Jackie Hunter, CEO of Benevolent AI
- Professor Sir , Life Sciences
Champion
- Professor Jeremy Farrar, Director of The Wellcome Trust
- Haruo Naito, Director, Representative Corporate Officer
and CEO of Eisai Co
