AstraZeneca Pauses £200m Cambridge Expansion Amid UK Pharma Setbacks

AstraZeneca has halted a £200m expansion of its Cambridge research site, stalling its entire £650m UK investment plan.
The Cambridge project, expected to create 1,000 jobs, joins the canceled £450m vaccine facility in Merseyside.
AstraZeneca cited reassessment of investment needs but offered no further comment on the pause.
In contrast, the company pledged $50bn in US investments by 2030, including new facilities in Virginia, Maryland, and Texas.
The move follows a week of negative news for UK pharma, including Merck scrapping a £1bn London research centre.
Sir John Bell warned other major drug companies are likely to stop investing in the UK.
Sanofi called on the Treasury to create a competitive life sciences environment before new investments proceed.
Eli Lilly also paused its £279m London gateway lab project, deepening concerns for the sector.
Industry groups argue the NHS must spend more on medicines and reduce clawback rates to align with Europe.