Eisai claims UK grant to expand manufacturing site
Eisai's site in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
Eisai has been given a grant from the UK government that will be used to expand a facility in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, which is an important hub in the company's global supply chain.
The award under the £520 million (almost $700 million) Life Sciences Innovative Manufacturing Fund (LSIMF) – originally launched in 2022 and expanded in 2024 – will go towards establishing supply chain and packaging capabilities at Hatfield for medicines that need to be kept cold when transported, including Eisai's Biogen-partnered Alzheimer's disease therapy Leqembi (lecanemab).
The project is being implemented in multiple phases, with a total investment from the Japanese pharma group of approximately £48 million, and will broaden the capabilities of Eisai's Hatfield manufacturing facility from its current focus on oral solid dose formulations.
The announcement is part of an £18 billion investment programme in the UK, spanning technology, clean energy, infrastructure development, and life sciences, as well as financial services, that has just been announced by the UK and Japanese governments.
The Eisai investment will support almost 150 jobs, according to Kenan Poleo, director of the Office for Life Sciences, who said in a social media post that it will also strengthen Hatfield's position "as a global manufacturing hub exporting worldwide." It is the ninth investment supported by the LSIMF, which has around £690 million in committed public and private investment.
The previous recipients of LSIMF awards include Pharmaron Biologics, Ipsen, Accord Healthcare, Norgine, Almac Sciences, Touchlight, Sterling Pharma, and Biocomposities.
This is "a positive signal of the Life Sciences Sector Plan taking root," added Poleo. "Eisai's decision to expand here underlines what we're seeing again and again: when government and industry work in partnership, the UK delivers – on innovation, on manufacturing, and on patient impact."
In a statement, Eisai said the upgrade to Hatfield will also allow it to transition from reliance on external contract manufacturers to an in-house packaging model, which will enhance its "supply stability and flexibility."
The investment will go towards facilities capable of handling temperature-controlled products, including the expansion of goods receipt and dispatch functions, construction of ambient and cold-chain warehouses, and installation of packaging buildings and packaging lines.
"This strategic investment reflects our long-term commitment to strengthening resilient supply capabilities for our innovative medicines and pipeline products, while further deepening our long-standing relationship with the UK," said Haruo Naito, Eisai's chief executive.
