UK pharma sector R&D spending jumps 6% to all-time high

Annual R&D spending in the UK’s pharmaceutical sector has risen 6% to an all-time high of £5.02 billion ($6.76 billion), according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data released on Friday.

R&D spending across pharmaceutical businesses in the UK climbed £284 million in 2020 having risen consistently for four years, analysis by R&D tax relief specialist Catax shows.

The amount the industry spends on R&D has grown relatively slowly over the past decade, rising just 7.4% from £4.7 billion in 2010. It now makes up 18.6% of total UK R&D spending.