Merck Moves All R&D Operations Out of UK, Citing Unfavorable Environment

Merck (MSD) has decided to discontinue all research and development (R&D) operations in the UK by the end of 2025, impacting approximately 125 positions135.

The company is abandoning a previously announced £1 billion ($1.31 billion) R&D center and future UK headquarters in London, less than two years after construction began13.

Merck will vacate laboratories at both the London Bioscience Innovation Centre and the Francis Crick Institute, relocating UK-based R&D operations to the US13.

The decision was attributed to the UK’s lack of meaningful investment in the life sciences sector and undervaluation of innovative medicines and vaccines by successive UK governments137.

This move follows Merck’s broader global optimization plan aimed at reducing operational costs after performance shortfalls in 2025; UK R&D was identified as an area for cuts3.

Major pharmaceutical peers, like AstraZeneca, have expressed similar concerns and have shifted or cancelled investments in the UK due to regulatory and market uncertainties post-Brexit7.

Sources:

1. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/merck-executes-its-own-brexit-moving-all-rd-operations-out-uk

3. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/msd-calls-off-1bn-uk-expansion/

5. https://firstwordpharma.com/story/6061098

7. https://www.pharmaceutical-technology.com/news/uk-pharma-industry-risks-losing-world-leading-status-as-investment-plummets/