A NEW biomanufacturing plant in Ulverston would help the UK’s response to future viruses.

Lakes BioScience, formed from a team of industry experts, plans to build, commission and qualify a £350m biopharmaceuticals site to produce monoclonal antibodies.

Lakes BioScience aims to develop the plant, which would create 250 high value jobs, on a disused car-park at Pulman Road, Ulverston.

The proposals, which have been submitted to South Lakeland District Council, are designed to: build an agile, customer-focused, biopharmaceutical monoclonal antibody manufacturing and process development factory; put the UK at the forefront of biopharma scientific research, development and manufacture with Lakes BioScience planning to build a start-of-the art, fully digitised operation building on all the learning from the best practices around the world and putting it into one dynamic UK operation.

A founding director of Lakes BioScience, Pat McIver, who has more than 30 years’ experience in the pharma industry, said there were lessons to be learned from the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of how the UK would respond to future viruses.

Mr McIver said: “What the pandemic has taught us is that we need to grow our manufacturing capability in the UK so when something like Covid happens we are better placed to respond to it in the future.

“Covid-19 has really tested us as a country. We have seen some great things being done in response, just look at the work on the vaccine.

“We have all the know-how in the UK. What we need is the manufacturing capability so we are less exposed and so we have a better chance to respond.

“Our ambition is to be the very best biopharmaceutical manufacturing organisation in the world and we have the people, here in the UK, that can make that happen.”

“We will build on a rich regional and national capability and create high-value jobs in Ulverston in a fast-growing sector to deliver life-changing and life-saving treatments.

“With the generous support of GSK, who have donated the land for economic development, it’s an opportunity to grow the UK economy and to generate export business.”

Simon Fell, MP for Barrow and Furness, spoke in parliament on Wednesday, calling for a focus on alternative Covid-19 therapies, such as those proposed by Lakes BioScience in Ulverston.

He said: "There's an opportunity to strengthen the bioscience and biomanufacturing industries in the UK.

"The Vaccines Task Force has made huge strides in this area already.

"But we should be looking to expand the tools in our belt, not just vaccines but also monoclonal antibodies to help those who've got suppressed immune responses and for whom a vaccine may not be the answer.

"We can't afford any more delays. Every pound spent on prevention will save many more in the future."