The Conservatives have won the UK general election, having claimed a significant number of seats from traditionally Labour-led areas of the country and their biggest share since the 1980s.
With just one seat left to declare, the Conservatives has bagged 364 and Labour just 203, giving Boris Johnson another tenure as the country’s prime minister.
Pharmaceutical industry representatives have welcomed the news.
Commenting on the election result, Mike Thompson, chief executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), noted that the Conservative manifesto “included strong commitments to improve the availability of new medicines to NHS patients, the uptake of vaccines, and to place life sciences at the centre of an innovation based economy.
“The ABPI supports these ambitions and we look forward to working with our members to bring new investment to the UK to further strengthen our world-leading science base.
He also noted that Johnson’s Brexit deal “includes an important commitment to exploring close cooperation on medicine regulation. Achieving this will be important in prioritising patients and public health as well as the future of the UK life sciences sector.”
The Conservatives have also pledged to boost public research spending to meet a target of 2.4% of GDP being spent on R&D; set up an Innovative Medicines Fund; and make the UK the leading global hub for life sciences.
In addition, the party has expressed its intention to continue to collaborate internationally and with the EU on scientific research, promote the uptake of vaccines via a national vaccination strategy, and also invest £3 billion into a National Skills Fund.
