Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of NHS medicines and medical devices depend on overseas supply chains, and what action is being taken to strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity.

Given the complexity and global nature of medical supply chains, the Department does not collect definitive data on the proportions of products dependent on overseas supply chains.

Many products rely on components sourced from overseas. For example many active pharmaceutical ingredients, the biologically active components that produce the intended therapeutic effect in medicines, have a license for manufacturing in India, Germany, China, Italy and the United States of America, and many of our finished medicine products have a license for manufacturing in India, and Germany, as per Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency licensing data in 2022.

The Government is taking forward a package of measures to strengthen domestic life sciences manufacturing capacity and reduce reliance on overseas supply chains. This includes committing up to £520 million through the Life Sciences Innovation Manufacturing Fund to support capital investment in United Kingdom based manufacturing of human medicines, medical diagnostics, and medical technologies. Alongside this, the Life Sciences Transformational Research and Development Investment Fund supports large‑scale, innovative research and development projects that create new or expanded research and development capabilities and strengthen the UK’s research base.

This sits alongside the Life Sciences Sector Plan, a ten‑year mission led jointly by the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which includes action to improve National Health Service innovation and adoption, clearer procurement routes into the NHS, reformed incentives to support innovation, and faster regulatory approval for new medicines and technologies. These measures are reinforced through the Government’s Industrial Strategy, which identifies life sciences as a priority growth sector and focuses on creating a pro‑business environment that supports investment and strengthens UK manufacturing capability.