What specific UK sites and projects is AstraZeneca resuming or launching with its £300m investment?

AstraZeneca is unfreezing a paused £200m expansion in Cambridge — completing construction of an office building called the Disc, near its headquarters, named after Rosalind Franklin — and investing £100m in its Macclesfield site to build a 'lab of the future' using digital and data tools to advance drug development.

Why did AstraZeneca pause UK investments previously, and what changed to prompt this reversal?

AstraZeneca paused UK investments last year due to disillusionment with the business environment, including NHS access to new medicines and drug pricing; the reversal follows a UK–US pharmaceutical agreement struck in December that lowers US prescription drug prices, increases NHS medicine spending, spares UK pharma companies from trade tariffs, and coincides with four new drug approvals in the UK since the start of the year.

AstraZeneca Makes Surprise £300m Pharma Investment U-Turn in UK

Apr 29, 2026

AstraZeneca announced a £300m investment reversal in the UK, unfreezing paused projects in Cambridge and Macclesfield following a UK-US drug pricing deal. The announcement coincided with strong quarterly sales reports from AstraZeneca and competitor GSK.

theguardian

2026-04-29

AstraZeneca Makes Surprise £300m Pharma Investment U-Turn in UK

2026-06-09

Healthy Cooperation: How Northern Universities Are Linking with NHS Trusts to Drive Innovation

AstraZeneca Makes Surprise £300m Pharma Investment U-Turn in UK

FAQ