𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is set to inject £300 million into UK drug development after halting a £200 million expansion and vaccine plant last year.

The investment follows praise from drugmakers including AstraZeneca for a US-UK agreement aimed at increasing medicine prices in Britain in line with the Trump administration’s new US pricing policies. The deal was finalised earlier in April.

Sir Keir Starmer described the commitment as “significant,” emphasising its potential to “futureproof thousands of jobs in Macclesfield and Cambridge.”

Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s chief executive, extended his gratitude to the government “for their efforts to improve access for patients.”

This announcement follows a period of uncertainty regarding the firm’s UK investments.

Last year, AstraZeneca paused a planned £200 million expansion of its research site in Cambridge and subsequently scrapped proposals for a £450 million vaccine plant in Merseyside.

Explaining the Merseyside decision in February 2025, Mr Soriot stated that company bosses “couldn’t make the business case work and couldn’t make the investment economically viable.”

But at Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir told the Commons: “Today I can announce a significant new investment by AstraZeneca, investing £300 million in UK life sciences, made possible by the pharmaceutical arrangement we have struck with the United States, to futureproof thousands of jobs in Macclesfield and in Cambridge.

“That is a major vote of confidence in the UK and Labour’s plans to strengthen our economy.”

Sir Keir also told MPs he was “proud that Labour is investing in life sciences”.

Companies including AstraZeneca have warned that Europe risks missing out on new medicines under the new policy environment, known as most-favored-nation pricing.

AstraZeneca earlier on Wednesday reported earnings that beat expectations, helped by demand for its cancer and rare disease drugs.

The investment will be used to complete the Rosalind Franklin building on AstraZeneca’s campus in Cambridge, eastern England, and to develop a lab of the future that will use digital and data tools to advance drug development.

Mr Soriot said: “We would like to thank the British Government for their efforts to improve access for patients, including four new approvals since the beginning of the year across the UK.

“And we look forward to further enhancing the access and the reimbursement environment and build a strong life sciences sector.

“I’m very happy to share today that we look forward to completing the construction of the Rosalind Franklin building on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

“We are investing a total of £300 million in the UK, which includes investment in our Macclesfield site, including a lab of the future that will use digital and data tools to advance drug development.”