And so, Dean Li took the opportunity to directly lobby the UK government and NHS to be mindful that lower tax rates and more welcoming pricing already exist. . . just across the way, in now post-BREXIT / "Remain" Ireland -- and Brussels in particular. That said, he's not wrong to try -- but it all likely falls on deaf ears, because £1 is the size of the check -- and the PM likely figures that won't end soon. [Do see my 2017 era backgrounder, here.]
In any event, here's the story from Financial Times -- noting in particular that AstraZeneca just selected an EU site (in Ireland) for ts $360 million new facility -- citing a "more hospitable" regulatory and tax environment:
. . .Merck’s research chief [Dean Li] has called on the UK government to make the country more welcoming to pharma companies, ahead of the US-based drugmaker breaking ground on a £1bn research centre in London next week.
Dean Li, president of Merck’s research laboratories, praised the UK’s scientific talent and expertise, hoping that the investment in King’s Cross will help researchers at MSD, known as Merck in the US, work closely with academics to do the early science necessary for creating new treatments for huge unmet needs in areas such as neurology. . . .
He said chancellor Jeremy Hunt and the health department should address conflicts with the pharmaceutical industry over drug prices and hurdles to running clinical trials in the NHS. He warned that the UK has to compete with other countries such as Belgium that are also trying to attract life sciences investment from groups such as MSD. . . .
Onward, smiling -- on a perfectly sunny Fall Sunday afternoon. . . as the oak and cottonwood leaves turn from gold to flaming red. . . .
नमस्ते
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