Favourable changes to the IP and tax systems in the UK for drug development.

The editorial discusses the planned introduction into U.K. patent law of a new exemption from patent infringement for all activities required to secure regulatory approval to market innovative drugs, which brings the UK into line with other major European jurisdictions. It is also planned to exempt studies carried out in relation to reimbursement work. These new exemptions, when set alongside the recent impletion of the Patent Box, offering a reduction in corporation tax on profits earned from patents and Research and Development tax relief, show how the UK Government is trying to make good on its promise to ensure the UK is a leader in Life Sciences Innovation.