Vital Signs Winter 2024/2025

In our winter edition of Vital Signs we review how the new Labour Government in the UK aims to bring about significant changes to the life sciences & healthcare sector. We consider some key aspects of the party’s pre-election life sciences strategy and some sector-targeted actions taken by Labour since winning power. The Labour Government has also delivered on its promise to introduce an Employment Rights Bill within its first 100 days of office which it has described as the “biggest upgrade to rights at work for a generation”. That, along with a new duty to prevent sexual harassment, are considered in the context of UK employment law. The new Government has also delayed the introduction of the new UK Procurement Act 2023 to February 2025, and we provide commentary on this and the new Procurement Pathway. Finally, shifting to EU matters, we summarise a recent event held by the SPCblog at CMS’s London offices which looked at the recent developments in supplementary protection certificate law and practice, which affects the exclusivity period of marketed drugs. If you would like to discuss these or any other developments, please get in touch. We would be delighted to talk about your interests and concerns.