AstraZeneca has halted its £200m Cambridge research site expansion, stalling its entire £650m UK investment plan.
The project, expected to create 1,000 jobs, joins the scrapped £450m vaccine facility in Merseyside.
A company spokesperson said investments are regularly reassessed and confirmed the Cambridge expansion is paused.
In contrast, AstraZeneca plans $50bn in US investments by 2030, funding new facilities and expanding labs across multiple states.
The pause follows a difficult week for UK pharma, including Merck scrapping a £1bn London research centre and laying off 125 staff.
Sir John Bell warned major drugmakers are reconsidering UK investments, citing an uncompetitive environment.
Sanofi echoed concerns, calling for a comprehensive Treasury plan to make UK life sciences globally competitive.
Eli Lilly also put its £279m London lab project on hold, adding to investment uncertainty.
Industry groups urge the NHS to reduce the clawback rate from nearly 23% to single digits to align with Europe.
Disputes over drug pricing and NHS payments have intensified, with officials considering reopening negotiations after recent breakdowns.
