Last year, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) launched an online database indicating payments and benefits in kind made by pharmaceutical companies to doctors and health organizations all over the UK. In total, 109 companies disclosed information about the in kind payments they made in 2015. Of the 109 companies, 54 were ABPI companies. Two thirds, or £229.3 million ($297.3 million), of all payments made were related to R&D, specifically working with health care companies for clinical trials. The remaining 33% of payments made were for events, donations, grants, travel for events, service fees and other non R&D-related activities.

As part of the ABPI’s submission to the Treasury for the 2016 Autumn Statement, the Association recommended the UK government channel R&D funding through the recently established UK Research and Investment initiative (UKRI), which the government accepted. An additional £2 billion ($2.6 billion) will be made available for R&D funding per year through UKRI and Innovate UK, the region’s leading innovation agency. The new funding is a 20% increase in total government R&D spending , the highest increase since 1979, and is geared especially for the life sciences industry.

Source: ABPI