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The BioIndustry Association welcomed the plan. Credit: Svet foto/ Shutterstock

The UK Government will enhance manufacturing and commercialisation as it looks to harness the value of the life sciences sector for the country’s economy.

In a new Life Sciences sector plan, the government outlined a six-point action plan to ensure the sector reaches its forecasted value increase of £41bn, representing a growth of 165% by 2035. The government is aiming to make the UK the leading life sciences economy in Europe, and third largest in the world behind only America and China.

While excelling at research and development (R&D), the report outlines difficulties with commercialisation and adoption. For example, despite being the first country to approve a CRISPR-based medicine, Vertex and CRISPR Therapeutics’ Casgevy for sickle cell anaemia is primarily commercialised overseas.

In a bid to scale industry, the government has pledged £520m to improve life science manufacturing. Outlaid via the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSMIF), the investment will aim to expand the UK’s manufacturing capabilities and supply chain security. 

One of the biggest patent cliffs is set to hit the pharmaceutical industry this decade, with major players bracing for a blow to their revenue streams, according to market analysis.

A recent report by GlobalData projects that the share of global drug sales under patent protection will decline by 2030.  Only 4% of global drugs sales will have patent protection, compared to 12% and 6% in 2022 and 2024.

Historically, the loss of patent exclusivity can have big bearings on a company’s financial prospects. Biosimilars and generics flood the market upon patent loss, which exerts pricing pressure on the branded product.

There has been a push by the Trump administration to increase biosimilar and generic drug use in the US. In May 2025, the US president signed an executive order that overhauled pharmaceutical pricing in the country. According to a Reuters article, pharma companies launched new US drugs at prices 35% higher in 2023, compared to those launched in 2022. 

Global funding cuts, including those made by the Trump administration, are set to increase cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Africa, research suggests. 

At the 2025 International AIDS Society (IAS) meeting, taking place from 13 to 17 July in Kigali, Rwanda, researchers will present several studies that address the current political and financial issues affecting the HIV response, including the implications for Africa and the rest of the world.

Abstracts to be presented will show the impact of the financing cuts, as well as how personnel on the ground, including experts and advocates, are working to address these new and urgent challenges.

One abstract will examine projected changes in HIV incidence, mortality and access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in sub-Saharan Africa following the discontinuation of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). 

Artificial intelligence (AI) should soon be taking a greater role in areas including patient recruitment and in building efficiencies around data quality.

That is the hope among those attending this year’s Clinical Trials in Oncology (CTO) East Coast 2025 conference, taking place on 8-9 July in Boston.

During an interview with Clinical Trials Arena, Leena Gandhi, chief medical officer at NextPoint Therapeutics, believes that AI will have an increasing role on the operational side with regard to modifying trial protocols in responding to changes as a trial unfolds.

“I don’t think AI will get us away from learning what actually happens in real people and being able to adjust on that basis,” Gandhi said. “We might be able to adjust faster, but we’re still going to have to learn what happens in real people and then change our strategy accordingly.”

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has granted approval for EURneffy, an adrenaline (epinephrine) nasal spray for treating anaphylaxis. 

Developed by US biotech ARS Pharmaceuticals and under exclusive license in the UK by Danish pharmaceutical company ALK-Abelló, the single-dose nasal spray is indicated for use in adults and children weighing over 30kg and delivers its entire contents (2mg) upon activation. 

MHRA interim executive director of healthcare quality and access Julian Beach commented: “Patient safety is our top priority, which is why we’re pleased to approve the first needle-free nasal spray formulation of adrenaline for the emergency treatment of anaphylaxis in the UK.

"Until now, adrenaline for self-administration has only been available via auto-injectors."