Written question asked by Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 11 September 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 25 September 2025. It was answered by Lord Vallance of Balham (Labour) on Thursday, 25 September 2025 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Life Sciences: Employment

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on jobs in life sciences and access to new medicines of Merck's decision to cancel a planned £1 billion expansion of its UK operations.

Answer: The decision by Merck, or MSD, not to progress its investment, is part of a broader effort by MSD to optimise its resources. It announced in July that it would cut $3 billion per year by 2027 and that 6,000 jobs would go worldwide. MSD continues to employ over 1,600 staff in the UK across other operations, including more than 40 collaborative working agreements with the NHS, the Our Future Health project and UK clinical trials. This decision will not impact UK access to new medicines.

Secondary information