In January, colleagues from across the UCB UK & Ireland affiliate came together at our All-Employee Meeting (AEM) to kick off the year. As it’s my first year of attending this meeting, I was excited to present our ambitions and hear from colleagues on how we would be elevating the lives of people through our medicines in 2025 and beyond. It was so great to see such a high quality and highly engaged group get together to discuss our 2025 plans!

Since taking up the role of UK&I General Manager back in September 2024 and subsequently hearing my colleagues speak at the AEM, our long-standing commitment to advancing innovation in the UK life sciences sector has become even more apparent. Our continued investment in Research & Development (R&D) in the UK underpins the dedication of our team in driving scientific excellence and improving patient outcomes.

We are more determined than ever to foster collaboration across the sector to support the growth of life sciences and contribute to the government’s ambitious vision of remaining at the global forefront of healthcare innovation. Labour’s 10 Year NHS Plan, Life Sciences Sector Plan and the October budget announcement reflect that life sciences is at the heart of its growth mission. We are also keen to see a long-term commitment for continued and increased investments in medicines as part of the healthcare budgets.

At UCB, we believe that by working hand-in-hand with key partners—government, the NHS, academia, patient advocacy groups, and industry—we can turn groundbreaking research into accessible treatments. At UCB, we’re already working closely with partners, for example:

 ➡️ Optimising the identification of adult patients with undiagnosed, unidentified or misclassified rare genetic epilepsies 

 ➡️ Utilising an electronic patient management digital solution to optimise the number of fracture patients identified to the Fracture Liaison Service 

 ➡️ Developing and implementing a remote monitoring solution to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery and improve patient clinical outcomes and experience

In 2025, UCB UK&I will be supporting policies, frameworks and collaborative partnerships that nurture innovation, encourage investment and elevate the lives of patients. I am excited to see what positive steps and outcomes we have achieved by this time next year.

You can read more about our partnerships on our website here: https://www.ucbpharma.co.uk/Our-company/Partnerships