STAT+: Merck halts U.K. research operations and bails on new facility in London

LONDON — In a blow to the U.K., Merck said Wednesday it was halting research operations in the country and bailing on a major London research center, in part to protest how the U.K. pays for medicines.

The U.K. has been trying to promote the life sciences in recent years, arguing that its renowned academic institutions and the National Health Service make it an attractive place for companies to invest in research and run trials. 

But the pharma industry has grown increasingly frustrated with what it says is the U.K.’s failure to support the industry and pay the prices that are warranted by innovative new drugs. Companies have repeatedly warned that U.K. policy, including the process through which the NHS buys medicines, could compel them to devote their resources elsewhere, and even not launch their medicines in the country.

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