The latest stories from healthcare and the life sciences in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (BeNeLux). UCB is considering a USD five billion investment in the US to avoid President Trump’s tariffs on the EU; Belgium’s competition authority fines three consumer healthcare companies; and the launch of a EUR 200 million fund in Amsterdam to help life science start-ups.
Belgian pharma company to invest $5bn on US factory (Global Construction Review)
Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB says it plans to invest $5bn in a US factory to avoid President Trump’s tariffs on the EU.
It makes drugs to treat diseases of the central nervous system.
It hasn’t decided where to build the factory, saying it would look for somewhere with “a strong talent pipeline” to recruit around 300 staff.
Belgian competition authority fines three pharma companies €11.25 million (The Brussels Times)
The Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) has fined three pharmaceutical companies a total of €11.249 million for engaging in an anti-competitive category management agreement that lasted over 15 years.
The case involves Johnson & Johnson Consumer (now Kenvue), Boehringer Ingelheim, and Haleon.
The agreement concerned over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, which do not require a prescription. While such agreements are not banned, this one restricted competition by influencing product placement, promotion, and selection in stores.
Belgian biotech stakeholders urge EU to fast-track innovation and financing reforms (Euractiv)
Responding to the European Commission’s call for evidence, Biovia says regulatory delays, fragmented markets, and lack of capital are costing Europe its biotech edge.
As the European Commission prepares its Biotech Act, Belgium’s biotech sector has submitted detailed responses to the Commission’s call for evidence, advocating for a bold and comprehensive legislative package.
If the EU wants to lead in global biotechnology, the Biotech Act must deliver radical simplification, stronger financial instruments, and smarter regulation, they say.
Sharing priorities and concerns, a wide range of Belgian stakeholders, including industry associations, regulators, academic institutions, and patient groups, paint a picture of a country eager to see Europe reclaim its leadership in biotechnology.
Biotech Booster, a Dutch valorisation programme that accelerates biotechnological innovations from idea to an investable proposal, was awarded €196.4 million from the National Growth Fund.
With this award, the previously conditional funding is final and the continuity of the programme is guaranteed until 2032. Partners include Oncode Accelerator, RegMed XB, NXTGEN Hightech, Hollandbio, DSM Firmenich and J&J.
Tariffs won’t trigger EU pharma exodus, says Dutch Minister (Euractiv)
Some EU-branded pharmaceutical companies say they will increase their US investments, ING Bank says EU has two levers it can still pull.
Tariffs won’t lead to an exodus of the EU’s pharmaceutical industry, in the short term, Dutch Health Minister Fleur Agema told Euractiv.
Agema’s remarks follow US President Trump’s signing of an executive order on Monday, incentivising the manufacturing of drugs in the US ahead of looming pharmaceutical tariffs within the next weeks.
This comes as pharmaceutical companies in the EU are maintaining pressure on policymakers for better incentives in order for them to stick to their investment plans and prevent them from moving to what they see as more pro-innovation countries.
Dutch Minister Agema downplayed these concerns, saying: “Investment decisions are part of long-term planning and are influenced by many factors outside the general pharmaceutical legislation.”
