Support for manufacturing in the UK is a key part of that plan. The announcements bolster supply of vital medicines, look to have reliable access to best new treatments and support highly skilled jobs.
The investments were made possibly by the £520 million Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF), which feature in the Sector Plan. Under the announcements:
- Accord, one of the largest suppliers of oncology and chemotherapy medicines in Europe, will invest £45 million in its Barnstaple site in Devon, with novel bipolar medicine treatments along with its strength in manufacturing generics.
- The Precision Health Technologies Accelerator (PHTA) in Birmingham is pioneering a £10 million programme to establish a new near-patient biomanufacturing facility, with clean rooms to produce medicines and vaccines for patients and clinical trials. It will also accelerate development of cell and gene therapies and mRNA vaccines.
- Codis is developing a new facility in Haverhill for its spray-drying product to support next generation therapies in cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Liz Kendall, the Science and Technology Secretary, said: “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. We are delivering the advanced treatments that patients need, growing our economy, and creating and protecting highly skilled jobs for people across the UK.“
Dr Zubir Ahmed, the Health Innovation and Safety Minister, hailed this as “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.“
Professor Gino Martini, CEO of the PHTA, commented: “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 mRNA vaccines, 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.“
In other recent good news recently:
- Norgine announced that it would spend £20 million to expand its site in Wales where it manufactures its gastrointestinal medicines. It has thanked the Office for Life Sciences for their support in this through the LSIMF.
- UCB has committed a further £500 million for their new R&D and manufacturing biologics hub in Surrey.
- Orchard Therapeutics has made an £11 million investment.
Hear more about this
The 2026 PING Conference, which VWV is running in association with the pharma trade organisation EMIG on 8 June, is Britain’s Life Sciences Strategy – How Will The UK Lead Europe by 2030?. One slot at the Conference is focused solely on UK pharma manufacturing, with a panel featuring Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult CEO Matthew Durdy and Custom Pharma’s Chris Davison. Other speakers at the Conference include George Freeman MP, as well as Lawrence Tallon (the pro-innovation MHRA CEO), a former Number 10 Downing Street health policy special adviser, and industry leaders including in manufacturing and genomics.
If you have any thoughts on UK pharma manufacturing or would like to be invited to the PING Conference, please contact Paul Gershlick in our Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences team.