BPS responds to Prime Minister's Speech on the NHS and UK Life Sciences

05 December 2011

Responding to the speech given by the Prime Minister on 5 December 2011, on the subject of UK Life Science, Professor Ray Hill, President of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) said:

“The BPS applauds today’s announcement by the Prime Minister of measures to support drug discovery and development in the UK, and to restore our competitive advantage in this vital field.

“Pharmacologists, who are at the vanguard of drug discovery and development in the UK, and patients, from whom important anonymized clinical data may be sought, will both play a critical role in delivering success in this project, and it will be essential to seek input from these stakeholder groups going forward.

“BPS is also encouraged by the opportunities this stimulus package may present to our members, many whom work in this area and have been adversely affected by recent industry cutbacks. The news that job opportunities may be forthcoming for those with specialist skills in basic and clinical pharmacology is especially welcome.

“We strongly support the Prime Minister’s view that the coupling of economic incentives to encourage inward investment with unlocking the power of the NHS as an unparalleled resource for drug discovery is the way forward.”