ABPI Scotland manifesto for health and growth published

ABPI Scotland published its manifesto for life sciences in Scotland, setting out the ABPI’s ambitions for the sector and asks of politicians

Ahead of the next Scottish Parliament elections, ABPI Scotland: A Manifesto for Health and Growth, calls on all parties to commit to policies that improve patient outcomes, strengthen NHS delivery, and attract globally mobile investment in R&D and advanced manufacturing to Scotland. 

The pharmaceutical industry plays a vital role in Scotland’s health and economy — supporting over 15,000 high-value jobs and contributing more than £1.7 billion annually. These achievements are made possible by strong collaboration across the “triple helix” of government (including the NHS), academia and industry.

Scotland’s life sciences sector has the tools and talent to lead the world. However, uptake of new medicines in Scotland remains slow and uneven. Patients face postcode lotteries and delays, which risk widening inequalities, pushing some towards private care while others face worsening health, lost income, and greater strain on families.

Richard Torbett, ABPI Chief Executive, said: “Better health and a stronger economy go hand in hand, and Scotland can have both. With the right policy choices, Scotland can become a powerhouse for the discovery, development and delivery of cutting-edge medicines, vaccines and diagnostics.

“The next Scottish Parliament offers a critical window to reset industrial and NHS innovation policy to attract investment and benefit patients, but global competition for that investment has never been higher.

“The opportunity from Scotland’s life sciences sector is real — but unlocking it depends on bold choices that put research, innovation and patient access at the heart of Scotland’s health and industrial strategy.”

The manifesto sets out the changes needed to guarantee timely patient access to new medicines and vaccines, support Scotland to lead in research and innovation, and drive digital transformation by harnessing health data responsibly for care and research.

Patients in Scotland still wait too long for access to new treatments. On average, it takes 374 days for a medicine to become available after it receives its licence, and only 28% of medicines available to European patients are fully accessible in line with their licence in Scotland — far behind Germany (90%) and England (37%).

Richard Torbett continued: “Every patient should be able to access Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) – approved treatments quickly, consistently and fairly. Spending on medicines must be recognised as an investment in health as well as NHS efficiency and financial sustainability.

“By investing in cutting-edge treatments and vaccines, we can drive disease prevention, improve treatable mortality, and generate economic growth for Scotland by reducing economic inactivity.”

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