This page provides UK exporters in the Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals Sector with information on assistance available from UK Trade & Investment and other sector information and contacts.
Biotechnology
Biotechnology is an enabling technology; not an industrial sector. It is the application of knowledge about living organisms, and their components, to industrial products and processes. The UK has companies actively developing and exploiting biotechnology across the whole breadth of its application: from pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, through speciality chemicals, food and agriculture, to the environment. The UK leads in Europe in the industrial exploitation of biotechnology.
The UK’s biotechnology sector is the largest in Europe. There are about 500 dedicated biotechnology businesses in the UK employing around 23,000 people. In December 2001, they had revenues of over £2.8 billion. They also account for almost three-quarters of European’s publicly quoted biotechnology companies.
Many UK businesses are very small, employing less than five people and still at venture capital stage. However, there are also 17 profitable listed UK companies (e.g. Acambis, Shire, Cobra and Celltech). The UK is second only to the US, where the sector is more mature. UK companies account for 43% of products in the pipeline by European public companies. Also, 43% of biotechnology drugs in late stage clinical trials (Phase III) in Europe are from the UK.
Most of the UK’s bioscience sector is clustered around a number of geographic areas. The most developed biotechnology and pharmaceuticals clusters are:
East England, which is the largest cluster around Cambridge and is strong in agricultural research (e.g. John Innes Institute in Norwich);
London, which receives two thirds of all bioscience research funding (but doesn’t have the incubators or production facilities to sustain new ventures).
South East England, particularly the triangle formed by the outskirts of west London, Reading and Oxford;
Scotland, primarily the University of Dundee and the universities and institutes (e.g. Roslin) in Edinburgh;
North West England, especially the bio-medical research base around Manchester and Liverpool;
There are also specialist clusters in North East England (with strong links to the region’s pharmaceutical and speciality chemicals sectors), York, Nottingham and Wales
The European market for goods and services dependent on biotechnology is currently estimated at £30,000 million and is forecast to exceed £100,000 million by the year 2005.
The UK diagnostics market accounts for £500 million and is the fifth largest in Europe in value terms. There are approximately 230 diagnostics companies in the UK and exporting is essential for their continued growth. With ongoing expansion of the non-developed world, the harmonisation of the EU market, enhanced technology, and the greater expectations of an ageing population, there are diverse opportunities in this sector for increasing its share of global business.
Pharmaceuticals
The UK pharmaceutical industry employs approximately 70,000 people - a third of whom are directly involved in research and development - and is fifth largest in the world by total sales (7% of world sales) after the USA, Japan, Germany and France. It is also the UK's third biggest earner by trade surplus (£2,300 million in 1997) after North Sea Oil and power generation equipment. Although the UK itself represents only 3% of the world market; the UK is the third largest direct exporter of pharmaceuticals; has the third largest world trade surplus; and accounts for 10% of world pharmaceutical R&D expenditure. In 1997, 'medicinal and pharmaceutical products' was the UK's eleventh largest exporting sector, with exports of £5,500 million. Five of the world's top 20 best-selling drugs were developed in British laboratories. Major advances in modern medicines today offer entirely new opportunities to treat diseases and benefit patients all over the world.
The majority of this information was compiled from details supplied by the DTI, Department of Health and Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry.
The biotechnology sector is made of companies that focus on the research, development and commercialisation of high technology, science-based products, generally in the areas of pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, the environment, agriculture and food. The primary commercial activity of these companies depends on the application of biological organisms, systems or processes, or the provision of specialist services. Broadly, we will work in the following areas:
Pharmaceuticals: Both prescription medicines and ‘over the counter’ preparations. Contract manufacture.
Pharmaceutical biotechnology: Using life science platform technologies to develop new drugs, biomaterials, drug delivery systems, gene therapies, genomics and vaccines.
Diagnostics: Using life science platform technologies to develop diagnostics for healthcare, environmental and industrial applications.
‘Green’ biotechnology: Animal healthcare, biopesticides, crop agriculture and food technology.
‘White’ biotechnology: Enzymes, food ingredients (e.g. vitamins), biological polymers and fine chemicals. Biocleaning, bioremediation, water or effluent treatment and waste recycling.
‘Blue’ biotechnology: Marine applications, such as fish farming.
Technology service providers: Reagents, equipment and instruments used in research laboratories.
Consultancy and other services: Regulatory affairs, contract research, clinical governance etc.
