The recent decision by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to pause a planned £200 million expansion of its Cambridge research site and the announcement by Merck (known as MSD in Europe) to withdraw its life science research operation from the UK have been described as a ‘tragedy’ by Innovative Trials’ founder and CEO, Kate Shaw. AstraZeneca confirmed on Friday 12 September that it has put its investment in Cambridge on hold. It follows another announcement by the company earlier this year that it had decided against an expansion of its vaccine manufacturing plant in Merseyside. Merck, meanwhile, had planned a £1bn expansion of its research in the UK with a new research center based in central London. This was due to open in 2027 but has now been scrapped. The company will also move its research out of existing laboratories at the London Bioscience Innovation Centre and Francis Crick Institute. The company says its research will instead move to other existing sites, mostly in the US. It is estimated that about 125 UK jobs will be affected.
Responding to the news, Shaw, whose company works closely with the pharmaceutical sector to facilitate clinical trials and accelerate access to new medicines, said: “These announcements by Merck and AstraZeneca are a real tragedy for life sciences in this country. The UK once had a proud history as a leader in innovation and health research, but despite having many talented researchers based here, we have seen this reputation decline over the years due mainly to chronic underinvestment. We know that AstraZeneca and Merck are not the only pharmaceutical companies that are concerned about the UK’s competitiveness. There is a general perception that Britain is falling behind in terms of life science investment and is no longer an attractive proposition for business operations or research. This is an untenable situation that requires urgent action before other pharmaceutical companies follow suit.”
The announcements by AstraZeneca and Merck come as the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) published a new analysis showing that investment in UK research and development by pharmaceutical companies fell by nearly £100m in 2023. The report also claims that UK investment in medicines is significantly less than some other developed countries and patient access to new medicines is more limited.
Shaw continued: “The Government cannot afford to delay. It must accelerate its Life Sciences Plan and ensure the investment it has promised is realized sooner rather than later. If we allow pharmaceutical companies to move their investment out of the UK because they no longer feel they can do business here, the people it will ultimately affect the most will be patients and their families. According to the ABPI, we already have a situation where fewer than one in three medicines are made fully available for their licensed indications. It simply isn’t good enough.”
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For more information, please contact Laura Gibson, Marketing Consultant for Innovative Trials at +44 7771 933609 or [email protected]
Notes to editors
Read the ABPI report: https://www.abpi.org.uk/media/news/2025/september/uk-tumbles-down-global-rankings-for-pharma-investment-and-research/
About Innovative Trials
Innovative Trials is a prominent international company specializing in patient recruitment and retention for clinical trials. Boasting 15 years of experience, Innovative Trials provides three fundamental services in this domain:
- 1:1 In-country Recruitment Coaching & Site Support, facilitated by in-country patient recruitment experts operating in more than 70 countries,
- Site & Patients Educational Materials,
- Navigator, a patient support center for referral pre-screening and retention.
With expertise in over 400 trials, 30 therapeutic areas, and over 100 conditions, Innovative Trials has established itself as a trusted and seasoned partner for pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations (CROs) and biotechnology companies. For more information, visit www.innovativetrials.com