Labour's policy for the pharma industry

The Labour Party’s election manifesto presents something of a mixed bag for pharmaceutical companies. In broad terms, the party’s pledge to increase total R&D expenditure to 3% of GDP by 2030 (compared to 1.69% in 2017) should mean more funding is available for cutting-edge research. Labour wants the NHS to be at the forefront of developments in the fields of genomics and cell therapies, suggesting some of this funding may be targeted at those specialisms. The Party has also expressed its support for the prescribing of medicinal cannabis, where clinically appropriate. However, other aspects of the manifesto will concern both originator companies and generic manufactures.