All Party Parliamentary Group to raise the profile of the UK Life Sciences sector

Press Release for immediate release Friday 23 November 

All Party Parliamentary Group to raise the profile of the UK Life Sciences sector

This week marked the relaunch of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Life Sciences. Chaired by Daniel Zeichner MP, the APPG will raise awareness of UK life sciences among parliamentarians and explore the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
 
At its first meeting, held on Wednesday 21st November,  the APPG considered the use of genome-editing technologies in healthcare and how these should be regulated. It explored the challenges of developing an oversight system that installs public confidence in emerging technologies while allowing new innovations and cutting-edge research to flourish. Leading industry experts from the Nuffield Council for Bioethics, law firm Fieldfisher and Spanish biotech SME, ZeClinics spoke at the meeting, which was attended by members of the European life science community as well as MPs and members of the House of Lords.
 
Commenting on the re-launch, Daniel Zeichner MP said: “I am delighted to Chair this APPG which will be an extremely important forum for making parliamentarians aware of the valuable contribution the UK life sciences sector makes to the nation’s health and wealth. Over the next year the APPG will consider how we can support the sector and how we can make sure that our constituents, and society more broadly, benefit from the exciting new technologies and treatments being researched and developed by life science companies across the UK.”
 
Notes to editors

At the APPG’s AGM, also held on Wednesday 21st November, the following were elected as Officers:

• Daniel Zeichner MP - Chair
• Chris Green MP - Vice-Chair
• Lord Warner - Officer
• Lord Turnberg - Officer 
• Lord Patel – Officer

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI), the BioIndustry Association (BIA) and the British In-Vitro Diagnostics Association (BIVDA) jointly provide the secretariat for the APPG for Life Sciences. For more information please email [email protected] 

Contact: Ed Sexton, BIA Communications Manager [email protected] 0207 630 2196

About the UK BioIndustry Association (BIA)

Established over 25 years ago at the infancy of biotechnology, the BioIndustry Association (BIA) is the trade association for innovative enterprises involved in UK bioscience. Members include emerging and more established bioscience companies; pharmaceutical companies; academic, research and philanthropic organisations; and service providers to the bioscience sector. The BIA represents the interests of its members to a broad section of stakeholders, from government and regulators to patient groups and the media. Our goal is to secure the UK's position as a global hub and as the best location for innovative research and commercialisation, enabling our world-leading research base to deliver healthcare solutions that can truly make a difference to people's lives. For further information, please go to www.bioindustry.org and twitter.com/BIA_UK