While big pharma bails on the South, North East Scotland’s Biotech scene is booming
In recent weeks, a number of pharmaceutical companies have hit pause on major UK investments. Merck scrapped plans for a £1 billion research hub in London. AstraZeneca shelved a £200 million expansion in Cambridge. Their message is clear: England’s ‘Golden Triangle’ and the usual manufacturing hot-spots in the north are not a good fit in the current, complex and challenging climate for drug research, development and manufacturing.
Whilst this is a blow to the UK life sciences sector, let’s not pretend our industry begins and ends with big pharma. SME biotech firms remain the drug discovery and development innovation engine for new medicines. The future of UK life sciences isn’t about who’s leaving, it’s also about who’s building the next generation of therapies for global health issues. Aberdeen and the north east of Scotland is a critical centre for this activity.
“Here in Aberdeen, we’re not just incubating early-stage ideas for new medicines, we’re taking them all the way from invention to regulatory submissions and launch-readiness,” says Deborah O’Neil OBE FRSE, Founder and CEO of NovaBiotics and NovaBiotics Consumer Health, and Chair of the ONE Life Sciences and BioAberdeen boards. The drug discovery and development ecosystem in the north east of Scotland has the ambition and capability to translate biotech innovation to marketed products”.
Take TauRx, Aberdeen’s homegrown biotech trailblazer. Attracting $890m in investment to develop hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM), their oral treatment for Alzheimer’s disease has been submitted for regulatory approval for a much-needed new medicine. HMTM has significant market potential and could offer a safe treatment pathway for patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s and mild cognitive impairment, as well as have a significant impact on the UK’s social care system. HMTM for these indications is the company’s lead programme. There could be much more to come. TauRx is turning heads across the UK, US, and beyond. An exemplar of why the north east of Scotland’s biotech ecosystem isn’t just catching up, it’s leading the charge.
Deborah O'Neil OBE FRSE, Founder and CEO of NovaBiotics and NovaBiotics Consumer Health, and Chair of the ONE Life Sciences and BioAberdeen boards
Recent government and private investment are creating new jobs, infrastructure and momentum across the region. At the heart of this transformation is Opportunity North East (ONE), the private sector catalyst driving growth in life sciences. With £40 million invested in its transformational project, ONE BioHub, ONE is helping position the north east as a globally competitive biotech hub, offering state-of-the-art facilities, expert networks and tailored growth programmes to accelerate innovation from lab to market.
Biotech companies are leveraging local strengths, world-class research, and supportive networks to turn breakthrough science into market-ready solutions. A thriving ecosystem of startups, scale-ups and research leaders, supported by lower overheads and globally leading academic research from our universities, is fuelling a biotech renaissance from lab to market.
For Government, investors, innovators, and anyone betting on the future of health, biotech is where it’s at and the next big thing might just be coming out of Aberdeen. Who wouldn’t want to be part of this?
Follow Us
Opportunity North East Ltd
11 Queens Gardens
Aberdeen
AB15 4YD