The Swedish government’s life science strategy is a long-term framework that sets goals for how the sector can develop and how Sweden can become a European leader in life science. The fact that Sweden has an established office for life science in the government and a national strategy provides good conditions in the direction of this overall goal, states Lif. At the same time, the strategy includes many objectives in a number of different policy areas and Lif emphasizes the importance of making the objectives more specific via special government investments, legislative proposals or other regulatory changes. The updated strategy expresses, among other things, an ambition that Sweden should be an attractive and competitive place for foreign direct investment in research and development. Furthermore, companies must be given the best possible conditions via a strengthened R&D deduction and more attractive expert tax rules.

“A necessary instrument to attract investment is the early use of new medicines. In the strategy, we lack that connection and we see a need for supplementation to provide the conditions for continued research during a drug’s entire lifespan,” says Sofia Wallström, CEO of Lif.

Lif also states that it is positive that the strategy highlights the importance of a national partnership for clinical trials. Sweden needs to break the long-standing negative trend of fewer and fewer company-initiated clinical drug trials. Lif welcomes that the government previously decided on a special investment through an assignment to the Medical Products Agency. It is also good that the strategy draws attention to the fact that the extensive regulations that surround all activities in the life science area must be in constant development in order to be able to meet the rapid medical and technological development, states Lif.

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The strategy also states that Sweden must be active in the EU’s joint work in life science, for example regarding the ongoing review of pharmaceutical legislation. Lif believes that it is of the utmost importance that Sweden, as one of the stronger life science countries within the EU, pushes for legislation that can strengthen Europe’s competitiveness for research investments.