Moderna boss defends UK in drug pricing row

The UK boss of the US drugmaker Moderna, which shot to prominence with its Covid vaccine during the pandemic, has defended the country after it was labelled the "worst in Europe" for drug pricing.

- Julia Kollewe

Darius Hughes spoke as he opened a £150m vaccine site in Oxfordshire, just days after MSD, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly announced they would ditch or pause planned UK investments amid an acrimonious row over pricing between the pharmaceutical industry and the government.

Hughes, the UK general manager for Moderna, said the company would continue to invest in Britain as part of its £1bn, decade-long partnership with the government.

"We're here to invest," said Hughes. "We're here on a 10-year strategic partnership, and we will be investing heavily in R&D across that period."