Govt reaction to UK's Bioscience 2015 report falls short of pharma expectations

The UK government's response to the new independent report - Review and Refresh of Bioscience 2015 - which was led by Sir David Cooksey and was  intended to help the nation's science-based industry remain competitive  (Marketletter February 9), has received a cautious reception from  research-based sector, which still sees itself under threat because of a  failure to address the sector's call for financial support and tax  incentives.

This month, UK Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson announced a  range of commitments and actions on bioscience in response to the  report, which he said were aimed at ensuring Britain remains a world  leader in the sector and to create supportive conditions for bioscience  investment, including:

- government and industry to develop a new stratified disease strategy  to support the development of drugs that are effective in niche  populations;