While big pharma bails down south, biotech is booming in north east Scotland

In recent weeks, a number of pharmaceutical companies have hit pause on major UK investments.

Merck scrapped plans for a £1bn research hub in London, while AstraZeneca shelved a £200m expansion in Cambridge.

Their message is clear: England’s ‘Golden Triangle’ and the usual manufacturing hot-spots in the north are not a good fit in the current, complex and challenging climate for drug research, development and manufacturing.

Whilst this is a blow to the UK life sciences sector, let’s not pretend our industry begins and ends with big pharma.

SME biotech firms remain the drug discovery and development innovation engine for new medicines. The future of UK life sciences isn’t about who’s leaving, it’s also about who’s building the next generation of therapies for global health issues.

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