Eli Lilly plans to invest £279 million ($364 million) in the UK as part of a new government partnership in which the drugmaker will bring its Gateway Labs overseas for the first time.
The pharmaceutical giant also signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, and NHS England that aims to improve care for patients with obesity, which costs the UK health service over £11 billion ($14.4 billion) a year.
The partnership was announced Monday during the UK’s inaugural International Investment Summit, a new initiative that disclosed £63 billion ($82 billion) in private investment and about 38,000 new jobs.
As part of the deal, Lilly will spend £204 million ($266 million) over three years on one of its so-called Gateway Labs in the UK, which will be the first of Lilly’s shared lab spaces in the UK and Europe, according to a Lilly press release seen by Endpoints News. The Indianapolis drugmaker is also considering building a second Gateway Labs location in the UK in the next few years, the company said.
Lilly’s Gateway Labs, which offer laboratory space to biotech companies or researchers, so far only have locations based in the US. There are two locations in South San Francisco, one in San Diego and most recently another in Boston.
On top of this, Lilly said it plans to conduct a five-year study with Health Innovation Manchester to investigate how effective its blockbuster GLP-1 drug tirzepatide is at helping patients lose weight and prevent diabetes and obesity-related complications. The study will take into account changes in participants’ employment history and sick leave.
Further, Lilly will collaborate with the UK government to develop digital tools and “future models” to help people with obesity, the company said. As part of its investment in the UK, Lilly may also invest in its manufacturing sites in the UK, partner with venture capitalists and academic bodies, and house more clinical trials in the UK.