French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi has cut its clinical trials in the UK by 50%, citing a commercial environment that its UK market access head, Paul Naish, described as a “terrible place to sell medicines.” This drastic reduction in research activity is a clear vote of no confidence in the current state of the UK’s life sciences sector.
Naish explained that while Britain still possesses top-tier universities and scientists, it has become an “expensive place to operate” with poor returns. Six months ago, the company had explored expanding its UK trials, encouraged by promises from the health secretary, but has now paused all substantial investment until there is “tangible progress” on making the market more competitive.
Sanofi’s move is symptomatic of a wider industry trend. Global drugmaker MSD recently scrapped its plans for a £1bn research facility in London, a major blow to the UK’s R&D ambitions. Furthermore, the US firm Eli Lilly has put a new London-based lab on hold, explicitly waiting for the commercial environment to improve.
The core of the problem lies in the UK’s low spending on medicines and restrictive pricing policies. The industry is demanding that the government deliver a concrete plan to raise spending to levels comparable with European neighbors and reform the decades-old rules that govern which drugs the NHS can offer. Without such a plan, the decline in UK-based medical research is set to continue.
A ‘Terrible Place to Sell’: Drug Giant Sanofi Halves UK Clinical Trials
