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Press release: Additional responsibilities for Medicines Discovery Catapult

Catapult to be centre for medicines; diagnostics; biomarkers; trial support.

The board of directors of the Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) and the Precision Medicine Catapult (PMC) have proposed the transfer of some aspects of the scientific mission of PMC to the MDC.

MDC will now focus on: medicines; diagnostics; biomarkers; early-stage clinical trial support. They believe the move reflects the change in precision medicine becoming mainstream and integrated within modern drug discovery, and will drive efficiencies and serve as a community one-stop shop for all drug-based approaches. The PMC will close as an entity in its own right.

This proposal is endorsed by Innovate UK under its commitment to developing targeted and efficient innovation support through its network of Catapults throughout the UK.

To deliver a more distributed approach to precision medicine and with reduced need for a centralised resource, Innovate UK will instead use its funding to maintain its support for the precision medicine sector, providing funding for competitive grants open to applications from businesses and precision medicine regional centres of excellence from all over the UK.

This will provide many expert groups with the capability to set their own strategies beyond the previous constraints of the PMC.

Contact PJ Taylor, media and stakeholder communications partner, for more information: 07950 225 001 or email pj.taylor@innovateuk.gov.uk.

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HM Government

Press release: UK takes centre stage in global marine protection

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey has today set out how the UK continues to play a leading role in protecting the world’s oceans and turning the tide on marine litter.

Speaking in Cork for the 25th annual meeting of the OSPAR Commission – an international convention to protect the marine environment of the north-east Atlantic – the Minister outlined how the UK is leading international efforts to tackle plastic pollution, protect marine species and habitats, and support cutting-edge marine science.

Earlier this month the UK made a number of voluntary commitments at the first-ever United Nations Ocean Conference in New York. These include joining the UN’s Clean Seas campaign to reduce the use of disposable plastic by 2022, strengthening global ocean observations, and working with Overseas Territories to protect the diverse range of marine life in their waters.

Speaking at the meeting, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

The UK continues to be a global leader in protecting beaches, oceans and marine life around the world.

Our seas are critical to the future of our planet – they supply the oxygen we breathe, absorb the carbon dioxide we produce, and provide us with a magnificent array of marine species and habitats. That’s why we must act now to protect them for future generations.

The introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge was a great step forward – cutting the number of bags found on beaches by nearly half – and alongside our work to ban harmful microbeads, reduce plastic packaging, and create a series of marine protected areas, I am determined for us to remain a heavy-hitter on the marine world stage.

Today’s meeting of the OSPAR Commission, jointly co-hosted by the Environment Minister and Ireland’s Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Damien English, brings together 15 countries across Europe to set out ongoing work to create a network of marine protected areas and launch a new report on the status of marine species and habitats in the north-east Atlantic.

Through OSPAR, the UK and neighbouring countries have developed and are implementing a Regional Action Plan on marine litter. This covers 55 actions to address land-based and sea-based sources of litter, including education and awareness activities, marine monitoring, and removing litter that has already reached the marine environment.

At the UN Ocean Conference the UK reiterated its continued commitment to conserving and sustainably using the world’s seas – one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which aim to tackle poverty, end hunger and protect the environment.

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HM Government

News story: CMA applies discretion not to refer IBA/Mallinckrodt merger

The CMA is not referring the merger between IBA and Mallinckrodt’s global nuclear imaging business for an in-depth investigation.

The companies both supply single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) radiopharmaceuticals in the UK. These are used to diagnose disease in many different tissues and organs including bones, the brain, heart, kidneys, liver, and lungs.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that in one category of SPECT products supplied by the companies the merger will reduce the number of suppliers from 3 to 2 and this could substantially lessen competition. However, the size of the relevant market is below £5 million and the CMA has not found reasons to warrant an in-depth phase 2 investigation. Therefore, the CMA has decided to apply its statutory discretion not to refer this case.

This is the first case in which the CMA has exercised its discretion not to make a reference for this reason since publishing revised guidance on 16 June.

For more information, please see the case page.

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HM Government

Green Party responds to Environment Plan delay

26 June 2017

The Green Party has responded to news the Government’s 25-Year Environment Plan is not guaranteed to be published this year. [1]

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“This is another example of the recklessness that comes with Gove’s appointment as Environment Secretary. He is clearly intent on playing fast and loose with the environment at a time when we need a safe pair of hands.

“The 25-Year Environment Plan is already long overdue and yet another delay compounds concerns that Gove will slash environmental protections and make the environment subservient to his wider political agenda. The Plan must be published as a matter of urgency. The need for a new Environment Protection Act is also clearly greater than ever.”

Notes:

  1. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/michael-gove-25-year-environment-plan-delay-government-climate-change-brexit-a7807781.html

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