ABPI makes case for government spending on pharma

Richard Torbett, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), has written to the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, outlining the case for investing in pharma.

Mr Torbett, writing ahead of the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review this fall, stressed the contribution that UK life sciences has made to global public health during the pandemic by ensuring continued supplies of medicines and researching, and developing new vaccines to protect the world from COVID-19.

He also reminded Mr Sunak that pharma is one of the UK’s key strategic sectors as a driver of productivity, the largest investor in R&D, and a major source of export revenues with high-value employment across the country.