Pascal Soriot, the chief executive of AstraZeneca, has described the UK government’s agreement on NHS drug pricing as a very positive step for the pharmaceutical industry, but he indicated that it wouldn’t be enough to restart a suspended £200 million investment in Cambridge. The planned investment was put on hold last September, and Soriot noted that the recent UK-US deal on drug pricing would need to be more substantial to justify resuming the project for a new research site.

AstraZeneca, which has become the UK's most valuable listed company under Soriot’s leadership since 2012, has been focusing on expanding its presence in more lucrative markets such as the US and China. In fact, during a recent visit by UK political leader Keir Starmer to Beijing, AstraZeneca announced significant investments in China while simultaneously committing $50 billion for its operations in the US. These moves highlight AstraZeneca's strategy of diversifying its investments globally rather than relying solely on the UK market.

Though AstraZeneca's shares recently began trading on the New York Stock Exchange while keeping its main listing in London, Soriot emphasized that the U.S. presents unmatched opportunities for growth in the pharmaceutical sector. This prioritization of investments in markets beyond the UK raises questions about the long-term prospects of the British pharmaceutical industry and its competitive position on the global stage.