The United Kingdom BIA - Bio-Industry Association

The Biotech production in the UK is considered to be one of the most prominent in Europe. The businesses are more mature than anywhere, many more companies dare the move onto the stock exchange, and the risk capital market has more favourable conditions. On the part of the government, research funding in recent years has seen a significant increase, a large sum of money have been put into medical research. Owing to liberal legislation, stem cell research is particularly well accepted in the UK, and industrial biotechnology is gaining ever more in significance. On the other hand, Biotech businessman on the island is gradually coming up against some head wind. In 2005, for the first time, more risk capital was invested.  The UK biotech sector is considerably more developed rather than the economic condition in other European countries. According to the British Bio Industry Association (BIA), of the altogether 457 Biotech companies in the UK, 48 are on the stock exchange, eclipsing every other country in Europe. The industry is particularly concentrated on the fields of health and medicine, accounting for more than half of all British biotech companies. According to auditors Ernst &Young’s figures for 2005, the listed companies have at present approximately 200 drug candidates in their pipeline, of which 36 are in the last phase of clinical development, and seven already seeking approval. The turnover of UK biotech companies was around 4 billion Euros in 2004, clearly declining when compared to 2003, which saw figures top 5 billion. In 2005, the British biotech industry was proudly showing off its first blockbuster product: Humira, the monoclonal serum from Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT), used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, has achieved a turnover of more than one billion Euros, in UK.