CEO blog – 6 July 2026

Scale-up policy | Improving treatment pipeline | APPG panel | GMM regulation | LLSW | Pedal Paddle Peak | Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE

Dear colleagues,

Today starts with big national news for the bleary-eyed and sleep-deprived: preclinical BIA member company Myricx Bio has agreed to be acquired by Novartis, valuing its technology at up to $1.5 billion. This is more proof that world-class UK science, and the team who founds and translates it, attracts world-class value. ADCs and other new drug modalities are areas the UK is leading. Academic leadership – in this case from Imperial and the Crick Institute – are crucibles of winning IP.

The returns to the public and private investors who then supported it to success – including Brandon Capital, Abingworth, Sofinnova, Novo Holdings, British Business Bank and Cancer Research Horizons – will also further enrich our scientific and translational ecosystem. Congratulations to all. The flywheel is spinning…

Last week was a week of driving momentum in policy, regulation, infrastructure, community and purpose that will deliver more and more Myricxs. From our roundtable with Dr Zubir Ahmed MP, Brussels discussions on environmental GMMs and the launch of London Life Sciences Week, the message is clear: the policy is set and the people are prepared. Pace of delivery is now paramount.

Policy continuity and scale-up: roundtable with Dr Zubir Ahmed MP

At our industry roundtable with Dr Zubir Ahmed MP, BIA members from across the country were clear about what is needed to turn world-class UK science into companies that start, scale and stay here. As we see with Myricx, Isomorphic Labs and others, our sector creates value, attracting more than 40% of European biotech venture capital and generating over £146 billion in turnover. But both proof of concept and scale-up funding gaps, alongside slow NHS adoption, remain barriers for industry and Government to focus on by doubling down on every action to address them.

The asks were practical: maintain R&D tax credits for Life Sciences companies; take bolder steps to unlock capital from UK pension funds; back the sector at proof of concept and scale-up stage through UKRI, the British Business Bank and British Growth Partnership; leverage health datasets for the sector and harness resource trials infrastructure to expand the new industry hub showing tangible delivery improvements. Dr Ahmed’s point that “research is care” captured the opportunity well: better growth and better patient outcomes can reinforce each other.

Rare diseases springboard innovation

Last week we welcomed the launch of an industry-government series of pilots designed to speed up and improve the fairness of how new treatments reach patients. At the same time, we strongly encourage Government to use of rare diseases as a pathfinder for new approaches to evaluating, adopting and valuing innovative medicines, including recognising their wider social and economic benefits.

BIA members have long advocated for this approach, and we look forward to working with partners across the system to help turn these ambitions into meaningful change for patients. The US–UK pharmaceutical agreement creates an opportunity for this purposeful, evidence-based collaboration. It’s important we continue to work on this together.

UK APPG panel: Life Sciences Sector Plan one year on – pace is paramount

Last Wednesday, we appeared at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). Our message was clear: we have cause for confidence, but the world is not waiting for us to accelerate.

We now have the world’s most innovative and stable medicines and healthcare regulator, faster clinical trial set-up for advanced biotechs, improved access to global capital, and the foundations of secure, enabling health data through HDRS and Our Future Health. But in an increasingly competitive world, going faster than before is no longer enough. Pace is paramount – particularly in unlocking high-volume domestic finance, from company proof of concept through to scale-up.

Proportionate pathways for environmental GMMs

Last Monday, we brought together UK and EU innovators, regulators, policymakers, academics and ecosystem partners in Brussels to discuss regulatory pathways for genetically modified microorganisms with environmental applications. Hosted with the Environmental Biotechnology Innovation Centre and EuropaBio, the roundtable opened a timely conversation on how regulation can support innovation while maintaining safeguards.

London Life Sciences Week 2026: lighting the runway

That same evening, we helped light the runway to London Life Sciences Week 2026 (LLSW). If BIO takes the UK story out to the world, LLSW brings the world to the UK. It is a signature event on the world calendar and getting bigger every year. BIA will be co-hosting the opening event and running an enlarged investor event in November.

Delivered by BIA with London & Partners and MedCity, LLSW 2026 will bring the global life sciences community to London from 15–20 November, with more than 80 events and over 1,300 investors and 5,000 attendees expected.

Pedal Paddle Peak: purpose in motion

As part of our partnership, a brave BIA delegation – the Recombinant Ramblers – took part in Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Pedal Paddle Peak last Friday. It was a reminder that this community is at its best when ambition and purpose move together. Cycling, paddling and climbing through the Lake District is no small ask, and the funds raised will support people living with muscle-wasting conditions. Please donate what you can.

Remembering Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE

Last Wednesday, colleagues and friends gathered at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst to celebrate the life of Dr Sally Ann Forsyth OBE DSc. Sally Ann’s leadership helped shape one of the UK’s most important life sciences communities, and her contribution will be felt for many years. The reflections, afternoon tea and commemorative tree planting were a fitting tribute to a career spent helping others flourish.

Wishing you a productive week. Keep on pushing onwards…