AstraZeneca to invest £650m in Cambridge's life sciences cluster and Liverpool vaccine manufacture

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca has unveiled plans to invest a further £650m in its UK operations, after Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced it in the Budget.

It will pump £450m into vaccine manufacture at its existing site in Speke in Liverpool and £200m into a new centre in Cambridge, as the drugs company looks to prepare for future pandemics.

The new facility in Cambridge will house around 1,000 employees and will be next to its existing £1.1 billion research and development centre on the city's biomedical campus.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt described the cash boost as a "vote of confidence" in the UK's life sciences sector.

AstraZeneca already has around 2,300 researchers and scientists in Cambridge, which it describes as Europe’s largest life sciences cluster.

AstraZeneca will work with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to develop and evaluate new vaccines.

Mr Hunt said: "We are sticking to our plan to make the UK one of the best places in world to invest in developing and manufacturing new, innovative medicines - both protecting public health and growing our economy.

"AstraZeneca’s investment plans are a vote of confidence in the attractiveness of UK as a life sciences superpower and strengthen our resilience for future health emergencies."

AstraZeneca chief executive Sir Pascal Soriot said: "AstraZeneca’s planned investment would enhance the UK’s pandemic preparedness and demonstrates our ongoing confidence in UK life sciences.

"We will continue to support the UK in driving innovation and patient access, building on the strong foundations which have been put in place."

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