Two of the world’s biggest drug firms have pledged nearly half a billion pounds to the UK within days of each other, with the ABPI calling it “real progress” for the country.
The move follows the UK-US pricing deal, which raised NHS drug prices in exchange for tariff-free access to the US market.
AstraZeneca reverses course
AstraZeneca said this morning it will spend £300m across its Cambridge and Macclesfield sites, reversing a choice made just seven months ago to freeze the same plans in protest at NHS drug pricing.
The Cambridge funding will restart work on the six-storey Rosalind Franklin building, in the centre of the UK city, set to house around 1,000 staff. Macclesfield will get a new lab built around digital drug development tools.
The announcement came on the same day as the firm’s first-quarter results, during which Pascal Soriot, CEO, AstraZeneca, said the company wanted to recognise “the importance of the US-UK deal on pharmaceuticals, and the leading role this plays in ensuring increased spending on new medicines”.
Boehringer bets on London AI hub
The AstraZeneca news follows a separate £150m pledge from Boehringer Ingelheim, which last week opened a new AI research hub in King’s Cross – its first UK site and fourth in the world. The German drug firm plans to have 50 AI staff in place there by end of 2027, with the hub focused on using machine learning to find the root causes of disease.
UK Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance said: “AI is unlocking opportunities to advance discovery in life sciences like never before and Boehringer’s decision to open its new hub in King’s Cross will ensure they can both access and contribute to a flourishing base for innovation in London.”
ABPI response
The ABPI said the two new pledges bring the total committed since the December agreement to £1.575bn across 13 deals. Just months ago, firms including AstraZeneca and Merck had paused or scrapped UK plans, citing a poor climate for business.
Not all have been won over. Merck, which axed a £1bn UK expansion in September 2025, has not announced any new investments.
