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6h ago

Boehringer Ingelheim to Invest £150 Million in London AI Drug Discovery Centre

The decision points to warmer investor sentiment following recent UK life sciences policy shifts.

The logo of German pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim is seen at its building in Shanghai, China February 1, 2019. Picture taken February 1, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer
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The pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim said the investment in London would “leverage the UK’s rich data resources and infrastructure, while connecting with world‑class talent”
Boehringer's Computational Innovation site in London King's Cross joins other such sites in the US, Austria, and Germany. Credit: JHVEPhoto / Shutterstock.com

Overview

  • Boehringer Ingelheim launched the London centre on Monday with a £150 million, 10-year commitment in the King’s Cross Knowledge Quarter.
  • The site becomes the company’s fourth computational hub after existing operations in Austria, Germany and the United States.
  • The team will use machine learning to speed drug discovery by handling slow steps such as trial recruitment, site selection and regulatory paperwork.
  • The science minister, Lord Vallance, welcomed new skilled jobs, and Boehringer’s Paola Casarosa said the UK’s AI legacy and health data made London the right base.
  • The Times cast the move as the first big pharma investment since the UK agreed new drug-pricing terms with the US this month, after several companies paused UK projects last year.