U.K. Banking on Health Plan to Bolster Growth in Key Industry
- Linking genetics to NHS data will speed drug development: Bell
- Companies looking for follow-up on plan’s commitments
U.K. Asks EU for More Brexit Negotiating Sessions
The U.K. government is banking on a sweeping plan for boosting investment and deploying National Health Service data to spur development of new pharmaceutical and biotech companies, while preserving the engagement of GlaxoSmithKline Plc, AstraZeneca Plc, and other established drug giants.
In the first phase of investment, the government will spend 146 million pounds ($189 million) to support innovation in manufacturing, development of vaccines and advanced treatments, and research by small and medium-sized companies, Business Secretary Greg Clark said on Wednesday. Yet several billion pounds of investment -- from government and industry -- will be needed to make the plan a success, said John Bell, a University of Oxford genetics professor who led the writing of the government-commissioned report.