An Overview of the UK Pharmaceutical Industry 

The UK Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology industry is one of the most well established in the world and is a major export industry.

Covering the lifecycle of a pharmaceutical from discovery through development to manufacture and treatment, the sector and its supply chain encompasses modern bioscience and biotechnology.  From biologics to vaccines, and genomes to diagnostics, the sector operates at the frontiers of the sciences. It is intensely interdisciplinary, requiring specialists in science, bioscience, engineering and regulatory affairs to drive scientific and technological innovation.

Cogent estimates that pharmaceutical and associated biotechnology companies employ at least 73,000 people directly - 45,000 in established pharmaceuticals and 28,000 in associated biotechnologies. Induced employment is estimated at up to 250,000.

For a more detailed picture of the pharmaceuticals industry download the factsheet.