UK drug research 'flourishing'

UK drugs companies are developing 560 new drugs

UK drugs companies are investing £8m a day in research, according to new figures.

More than 560 medicines are in development, including new approaches to treating cancer and heart disease.

The pharmaceutical industry is footing the bill for two-thirds of the research.

Huge as the industry's investment is, it is by no means a guaranteed path to success

Dr Trevor Jones, ABPI

The remaining funds come from medical charities, academia and the government.

The snapshot of drugs research in Britain is revealed in a new report by the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).

It highlights 41 different areas of medicine that are the focus for research.

They include cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, central nervous system disorders and vaccines.

Genomic revolution

The report, An A-Z Of British Medicines Research, also looks at the effects of the recent drive to map the human genome.

According to Dr Trevor Jones, ABPI director-general, we are on the brink of a new range of medicines that will cure conditions rather than treat symptoms.

"The genomic era is set to deliver a different kind of medicine for the future," he told BBC News Online.

These drugs would "work with nature rather than be foreign to the body", he added.

One such tool is gene therapy, which offers hope for treating or even curing some rare genetic diseases.

The publication also warns that despite enormous scientific advances in recent years, developing new drugs is still a high-risk business.

'Act of faith'

The last such report, published in 1998, covered 320 potential new drugs. Of these, only 47 are currently on the market.

Dr Jones said in a press statement: "Huge as the industry's investment is, it is by no means a guaranteed path to success.

"When companies put their money into researching new medicines, it is something of an act of faith - and the recent Budget announcement of tax credits for companies willing to take that risk is therefore very welcome."

Dr Jones said British-based drugs companies were receiving positive support from the government.

"Obviously, I'd like to see more money spent on medical research by all parties," he told BBC News Online.