Merck & Co announced the cancellation of its £1 billion drug research center plan in London.

On September 10 local time, Merck & Co announced that it would terminate its early drug development projects in the UK and cancel the plan to invest £1 billion in establishing a research center in London. The company had previously planned to move into the Belgrove House office complex in King's Cross, London (originally scheduled to be operational in 2027), but this plan has now been canceled, and it intends to withdraw from the Francis Crick Institute's laboratories by the end of the year. This business adjustment will result in the elimination of 125 positions. Merck & Co attributed this decision to the "lack of substantial progress by the UK government in addressing insufficient investment in the life sciences sector, as well as the failure of successive UK governments to adequately assess the value of innovative drugs and vaccines." The company stated that it will transfer related research and development operations to existing office locations, primarily focusing on the United States.