GSK's £275m investment confirms UK's leading position in life sciences

In our weekly expert view piece, patent attorney and head of life sciences at intellectual property firm Withers & Rogers LLP, Adrian Tombling, examines GSK's decision to invest £275m at three of its UK manufacturing sites.

The decision by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to announce plans to invest £275m in its UK-based operations has sent a strong and positive message to the global biopharma community that Britain is still the destination of choice.

The announcement could not have come at a better time or be more welcome to the UK government and all those that have a stake in the UK’s life sciences industry. The fact that the firm’s outgoing chief executive, Sir Andrew Witty, was firmly in the ‘remain’ camp prior to the EU referendum has made the company’s decision to back Britain all the more sweet.