The move comes as part of a competition law investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) into drug firms King Pharmaceuticals Limited, Alissa Healthcare Research Limited and Lexon (UK) Limited.

In June 2019, the CMA issued a statement of objections provisionally finding that the 3 suppliers had exchanged commercially sensitive information about prices, volumes and entry plans in order to keep prices up.

Nortriptyline is prescribed by the NHS and relied on by thousands of patients every month to relieve the symptoms of depression. NHS spending on the drug peaked at £38 million in 2015.

King and Alissa have now admitted breaking competition law by exchanging strategic and competitively-sensitive information with one another and with Lexon during periods between 2015 and 2017.

The CMA’s investigation into Lexon is ongoing as the firm denies involvement in the suspected infringement. Therefore, any infringement decision – which could lead to a fine – would be made at the end of the investigation.

For more information see the case page.

Published 20 September 2019

Modern slavery and human trafficking is a global problem which concerns the lives of millions of ordinary people. Thus, eradicating it is one of the UK Government’s highest priorities. We work with partners in the UK and around the world to pursue offenders, safeguard victims and to prevent vulnerable people in source countries from becoming victims.

Mass media plays a crucial role in raising public awareness among the population, providing accurate information about human trafficking that helps to shape public opinion and protect the vulnerable population from potential harm.

With the financial support of the British Embassy in Turkmenistan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has completed a two-day interactive workshop in Ashgabat aimed at strengthening the organisational capacity of journalists and NGOs working in the field of combating human trafficking and illegal migration.

The workshop will especially help local journalists generate a deeper understanding of the factors that have an impact on their decisions when covering the topic, and to discuss the importance of fair and balanced media coverage of the issue, particularly its potential victims, in order to avoid them being trafficked or re-victimised and suffer any undue hardship arising from media interventions in the future.

David Pert, Deputy Head of the Embassy noted:

The British Embassy is pleased to be able to support the IOM with this important work in Turkmenistan. The IOM works actively with the Turkmen government on the implementation of the next National Action Plan on Counter-Trafficking, as well as with NGO partners on this topic, so I am glad that we are able to support this event through our project funding.

Looking ahead, we the British Embassy in Turkmenistan will continue to support the Government of Turkmenistan as it looks to implement the anti-human trafficking measures set out in its legislation, and we look forward to more successful prosecutions, and stronger support and protection of victims of human trafficking.

Up to £6 million of investment will mean the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can fund more than 100 ‘Armed Forces Champion’ posts, dedicated to supporting former service personnel and their spouses readjust to civilian life. The champions will be stationed across the country.

Work and Pensions Secretary of State Thérèse Coffey said:

The armed forces do our country proud and we are forever grateful to them for the sacrifices they make in order to serve our nation.

The Sun rightly champions the importance of looking after our heroes and their families – both while they are serving and once they have left the forces.

This welcome new funding will provide specialist, individual support to former service personnel and their families as they take the first steps to find a job and receive the financial support they are entitled to, helping them better readjust to civilian life.

Armed Forces Champions deliver employment support and benefits advice to former servicemen and women, and raise awareness of particular issues faced by veterans and their families. There are currently 46 Armed Forces Champions in the UK.

Many of the jobcentre staff who are Armed Forces Champions have previously served in the forces and draw upon their own experiences to help veterans move forward.

Neil Turner, Armed Forces Champion and Colchester Jobcentre work coach, was in the army for 30 years before working for DWP.

He said:

It can be a massive culture shock for those leaving the Armed Forces. Many don’t know what’s hit them. This funding will ultimately help ensure the right people are out there providing the right kind of support where it’s needed, when it’s needed.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak said:

I’ve been honoured to spend time with many veterans and service personnel, and I’m constantly humbled by their service. They deserve our support to ensure they never find themselves out of work and without help.  

That’s why we are spending up to £6 million to increase the number of Armed Forces Champions in our jobcentres. They’ll be a vital extra help as our former soldiers, sailors, airmen and women take the first steps into a new career.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5141

Follow DWP on:

The rising stars of UK science and trailblazing small businesses will receive significant government support to help answer some of the world’s biggest scientific challenges and help turn ideas into viable products and services.

Today (20 September 2019), the Government announced a £98 million investment, allowing both UK researchers and small businesses to seize the vast opportunities in science and innovation and industries of the future.

Of this, £78 million will be invested in 78 scientists and researchers through the government’s Future Leaders Fellowships scheme, supporting many of those working at the cutting edge of the next scientific discoveries – including solutions to climate change and birth defects.

The remaining £20 million will be allocated to 20 universities to develop new University Enterprise Zones (UEZs) across the country to provide vital specialist support to small businesses in pioneering industries – like Artificial Intelligence (AI), clean growth, smart energy and agri-food.

Science Minister Chris Skidmore said:

Delivering on our research and innovation ambitions means putting people first, whether they are just starting out in their career or are leading major projects in academia or industry.

These inspirational Future Leaders Fellows will generate the ideas of the future, helping to shape science and research for the 21st century. But to realise the full potential of these discoveries, their ideas need to be taken out of the lab and turned into real products and services, where they can actually change people’s lives for the better.

That’s why we are creating 20 new University Enterprise Zones, helping local start-ups to co-locate in universities to build the businesses of the future – all inspired by university research.

The first wave of winners of the Future Leaders Fellowships scheme was announced earlier this year – with several projects now underway, ranging from tackling Alzheimer’s disease to helping emergency services reach the scenes of accidents more quickly.

The new fellows will help maintain the UK’s position as a global science and research superpower, with new fellows including:

• Joe Rainger, University of Edinburgh – Working with DNA, live cell-imaging, and developing eye tissue, Joe’s project will provide insights into how we can reduce genetic birth defects – including cleft palate, spina bifida, and heart defects

• Siddartha Khastgir, WMG, University of Warwick- Siddartha’s research will help us overcome the barriers to rolling out driverless cars – running pioneering tests to enable the safe use of connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs)

• Izzy Jayasinghe, University of Leeds- Izzy will build new portable, cheap and easy-to-use imaging technology. This will help doctors and scientists to visually examine structures as small as individual proteins and genes – unlocking new insights into global issues including effects of environmental change, ageing and long-term disease

• Adrian Healy, Cardiff University – Adrian’s research will improve global cities’ ability to cope with water-related shocks in the face of increasing demands for water, including droughts and a lack of access clean to water

• Bob C. Schroeder, University College London – This project will drive advances in self-healing materials – creating a wearable sensor that can be directly applied to human skin to allow for continuous patient monitoring and ultimately improve treatments

• Patricia Clay, University of Manchester – By examining meteorites and ancient rocks from our planet, this project will explore the age-old existential question: how did life form on early Earth?

• Sadie Watson, Museum of London Archaeology – Sadie’s research will ensure that public spending on archaeological excavation for infrastructure projects leads to meaningful research that is relevant to society – and has community participation

The remaining £20 million is being allocated by Research England – part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – to 20 universities, from Southampton to Teesside to create UEZs; alongside existing zones in Bradford, Bristol, Liverpool and Nottingham, and a specialised facility at the Bradfield Centre in Cambridge

These UEZs will provide vital specialist support to small businesses at the cutting-edge of pioneering industries.

The scheme will facilitate knowledge sharing between academics and entrepreneurs by opening collaborations with universities and businesses to help them take their ideas from prototype to profit. The UEZs will provide the facilities and expertise to help local SMEs to forge crucial partnerships, driving local growth and job creation.

UK Research and Innovation Chief Executive, Professor Sir Mark Walport, said:

The Future Leaders Fellowships will enable the most promising researchers and innovators to become leaders in their fields, working on subjects as diverse as climate change, dementia and quantum computing.

UKRI is committed to creating modern research and innovation careers and our Future Leaders Fellowships aim to support and retain the most talented people, including those with flexible career paths.

These 20 University Enterprise Zones funded by Research England will be important focal points for collaboration in business-friendly environments, driving innovation and delivering benefits that will be felt across economies at the local, regional and national scale.

This investment comes following the government reaffirming its commitment to invest at least 2.4% of GDP in R&D by 2027 and to publishing a roadmap this autumn setting out how it will realise this ambition.

The government has also launched a new immigration route enabling international students to work in the UK for two-years post-graduation, helping the UK attract and retain the brightest and best talent.

Notes to editors:

The Future Leaders Fellowships scheme, which is run by UK Research and Innovation, will recognise 550 individuals with a total investment of £900 million committed over 3 years. The scheme helps universities and businesses in the UK recruit, train and retain the world’s best researchers and innovators, regardless of their background. They can apply for up to £1.2 million to support the research and innovation leaders of the future, keeping the UK at the cutting edge of innovation. Each fellowship will last four to seven years.

Firms interested in applying to host a Futures Leaders Fellow

The full list of fellows can be found below:

• Christopher Staples, Bangor University
• Adrian Healy, Cardiff University
• Laura Schoenberger, Durham University
• James Osborn, Durham University
• Babette Hoogakker, Heriot-Watt University
• Klaus Jöns, Heriot-Watt University
• Adam Celiz, Imperial College London
• Oliver Robinson, Imperial College London
• Yuval Elani, Imperial College London
• Francesco Antonio Aprile, Imperial College London
• Vanessa Sancho Shimizu, Imperial College London
• Mark Scott, Imperial College London
• Ayush Bhandari, Imperial College London
• Michael Vanner, Imperial College London
• Isabel Dregely, King’s College London
• Pierpaolo Vivo, King’s College London
• Katie Sheehan, King’s College London
• Aurelia Lepine, London, Sch of Hygiene and University College London
• Muhammed Olanrewaju Afolabi, London Sch of Hygiene and Trop Medicine
• Daniel Smale, Marine Biological Association
• Sadie Watson, Museum of London Archaeology
• Noemi Procopio, Northumbria University
• Jan Mol, Queen Mary University of London
• Georgina Robinson, Scottish Association For Marine Science
• Paul Albert, Swansea University
• Yue Ren, Swansea University
• Patricia Clay, The University of Manchester
• Jean-Michel Fustin, The University of Manchester
• Jennifer Steeden, University College London
• Jenevieve Mannell, University College London
• Bob Camille Schroeder, University College London
• Peter Keating, University College London
• Neil Oxtoby, University College London
• Alice Davidson, University College London
• Timothy Carroll, University College London
• Carla Perez Martinez, University College London
• Pierre Maillard, University College London
• Anupam Das, University College London
• Patrick Bury, University of Bath
• Joshua Quick, University of Birmingham
• Joshua Makepeace, University of Birmingham
• Sarah Pike, University of Bradford
• Victoria Bates, University of Bristol
• Laura Dixon, University of Leeds
• Daniel Field, University of Cambridge
• Jamie Blundell, University of Cambridge
• Tom Vettenburg, University of Dundee
• Alper Akay, University of East Anglia
• Charles Lees, University of Edinburgh
• Joe Rainger, University of Edinburgh
• Stephen Wallace, University of Edinburgh
• Franz Herzog, University of Edinburgh
• Emily Bridger, University of Exeter
• Adam Dobson, University of Glasgow
• Lewis Topley, University of Kent
• Laura Carter, University of Leeds
• Karen Michelle Davies, University of Leeds
• Richard Mann, University of Leeds
• Izzy Jayasinghe, University of Leeds
• Anna Tarrant, University of Lincoln
• Janine Kavanagh, University of Liverpool
• Ruth Nugent, University of Liverpool
• Kay Brandner, University of Nottingham
• Christopher Ballance, University of Oxford
• Daniel Humphreys, University of Sheffield
• Christina Vanderwel, University of Southampton
• Matthew Ryan, University of Southampton
• William Hutchison, University of St Andrews
• Patrick O’Hare, University of St Andrews
• Panagiotis Papadopoulos, University of Strathclyde
• Payel Das, University of Surrey
• Siddartha Khastgir, University of Warwick
• Richard Moore, University of Warwick
• Heather Cegla, University of Warwick
• Tom Gur, University of Warwick
• Benajmin Richards, University of Warwick
• Matthew Spencer, University of Warwick
• Angela Aristidou, University of Warwick

The further £20 million will be allocated to 20 Universities by Research England:

• STEAMincubator Led by: Birmingham City University Research England funding: £0.53 million

• AVIATE+ Led by: Cranfield University Research England funding: £1.2 million

• Keele University Corridor University Enterprise Zone Led by: Keele University Research England funding: £0.91 million

• Secure Digitalisation University Enterprise Zone (SecureD EZ) Led by: Lancaster University Research England funding: £1.5 million

• Oxford Brookes Artificial Intelligence & Data Analysis Incubator (AIDA) Led by: Oxford Brookes University Research England funding: £1.2 million

• QMUL/Barts Life Sciences University Enterprise Zone Led by: Queen Mary University of London Research England funding: £1.5 million

• Wellbeing Accelerator Led by: Sheffield Hallam University Research England funding: £0.9 million

• Staffordshire Advanced Materials Incubation and Accelerator Centre (SAMIAC) Led by: Staffordshire University Research England funding: £0.8 million

• Unit DX+ Led by: University of Bristol Research England funding: £1.5 million

• East London Inclusive Enterprise Zone (ELIEZ) Led by: UCL Research England funding: £0.5 million

• Greater Cambridge Health Tech Connect: Testing and integrating inter-disciplinary models of incubation across West/South Cambridge Led by: University of Cambridge Research England funding: £0.5 million

• Accelerating Innovation at the Knowledge Gateway Led by: University of Essex Research England funding: £0.8 million

• University of Exeter Enterprise Zone (UEEZ) Led by: University of Exeter Research England funding: £0.8 million

• Launchpad Led by: University of Falmouth Research England funding: £1 million

• The Go Herts University Enterprise Zone Led by: University of Hertfordshire Research England funding: £1.1 million

• Business Incubation Development to support Food Enterprise Zones Led by: University of Lincoln Research England funding: £1 million

• Future Towns Innovation Hub Led by: University of Southampton Research England funding: £1.5 million

• Led by: Durham University Research England funding: £1.4 million

• Led by: Teesside University Research England funding: £1.4 million

• Led by: University of Sunderland Research England funding: £0.6 million

Public Health England (PHE) has published its second-year report on progress made by the food industry to voluntarily reduce sugar in everyday foods.

The report shows the sugar reduction achieved by retailers and manufacturers (in home sector) and the out of home sector (including restaurants, pubs and cafes) in foods contributing the most sugar to children’s diets, such as cakes, breakfast cereals and sweets.

The report shows:

• for retailers and manufacturers, there is an overall 2.9% reduction (sales weighted average sugar per 100g) since 2015
• for the out of home sector, based on more limited data, there is a 4.9% reduction (simple average sugar per 100g)

However, some food categories have shown greater progress. Retailer own brand and manufacturer branded yogurts and fromage frais, and breakfast cereals have reduced sugar by 10.3% and 8.5% respectively.

When looking at simple average sugar levels, data suggests that the out of home sector has made more progress; however direct comparisons should not be made due to the data available.

The report also looks at progress made under the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL). The data shows:

• a 28.8% sugar reduction per 100ml in retailer own brand and manufacturer branded products and a 27.2% reduction per 100ml for drinks consumed out of home
• there was a consumer shift towards zero or lower sugar products, with sugar purchased from soft drinks decreasing in all socio-economic groups
• 30,133 tonnes of sugar were removed without reducing soft drink sales, resulting in around 37.5 billion fewer kilocalories sold in sugary drinks each year

Duncan Selbie, Chief Executive of Public Health England, said:

We are seeing some encouraging progress from the food industry. Our second year report shows some food categories reducing sugar faster than others but this is realistic at this early stage.

We are confident that the industry as a whole understands their responsibility to step up and deliver for children and their families.

A third of children leave primary school overweight or obese, while severe obesity in Year 6 children has now reached an all-time high.

To help them play their part in addressing this, businesses have 3 options to meet the 20% ambition: reduce sugar levels (reformulation), produce smaller portions, or encourage consumers to purchase lower or no sugar products.