£33 million of joint government and industry investment with Kindeva Drug Delivery in UK medicines manufacturing will ensure a new generation of green, low-carbon, respiratory inhalers are made in the UK, supporting efforts to grow the economy.
The investment will create 40 full-time jobs and safeguard 218 existing full-time jobs across Kindeva’s sites in Clitheroe and Loughborough.
This is the sixth investment delivered through the Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) and its predecessor the Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund, which has supported UK life sciences manufacturing with £340 million in joint government and industry backing in the last financial year, and £416 million since 2021.
Today’s funding follows on from the Chancellor’s £650 million ‘Life Sci for Growth’ war-chest, announced in May this year, to fire up the UK’s life sciences sector and helps to deliver the Science and Technology framework through reforming regulation, boosting investment and driving up talent and skills.
Minister of State for Science, Research & Innovation, George Freeman MP, said: “Our £94 billion life science sector is one of our great industries – based on a deep long-term partnership between industry, investors, government, the NHS and disease charities – supporting us all to live healthier lives and providing over 250,000 high-skilled jobs in research and development clusters all around the UK.
“It is also driving billions of pounds worth of direct investment into the UK, something this government is determined to capitalise on through our global leadership via the Oxford Covid vaccine and NHS Recovery trial.
“The pace of new technology is transforming the sector and today’s investments signal our commitment to domestic manufacturing and skills enhancement, to deliver a robust future for UK life sciences that will not only play a key role in the country’s future economic success, but in improving our health as well.”
Health Minister Will Quince said: “The pandemic demonstrated the importance of investing in our ability to manufacture medicines in the UK, and of upskilling staff in the sector, so we can respond rapidly to health emergencies. This investment in low-carbon inhalers will also help the NHS meet its net zero ambition.
“Life sciences is a key growth area and one of the UK’s most successful sectors and this is another example of how we are partnering with industry to supercharge manufacturing and research, supporting thousands of high-value jobs and enabling patients to benefit from the latest innovations.”
LSIMF follows on from the Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund (MDMTF) pilot programme which launched in April 2021. Over its lifespan, MDMTF delivered £75 million in joint government and industry investment, while also creating 224 new jobs and protecting 345 existing roles.
Kindeva Drug Delivery is a leading global contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) specializing in pharmaceutical drug-device combination products, such as inhalers, nebulizers and medicated patches.
Kindeva’s Global Chief Commercial Officer, David Stevens, said: “This joint investment creates a myriad of new opportunities for colleagues within the UK, as significant technical and regulatory expertise is required in the development and manufacturing of complex inhalation pharmaceutical products.
“Furthermore, it provides Kindeva with a springboard to expand our capabilities and capacity, while simultaneously partnering with the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world to bring the next generation of green inhalers to market, with a common goal of safeguarding access to necessary therapies for our patients and also reducing our impact on the planet.”
The government’s Life Sciences Vision, published in 2021, set the ambition to create a globally competitive environment for Life Science manufacturing investments, building on the strengths of our manufacturing R&D, our network of innovation centres, the manufacturing response to COVID-19 and delivery of the Medicines and Diagnostics Manufacturing Transformation Fund.
Life sciences are also central to the UK Science and Technology Framework, which identifies the critical technologies set to make the biggest difference to health and life science progress, as well as plans to improve the regulatory landscape for life sciences.
