RB – formerly Reckitt Benckiser – today revealed it will plough £100m into a new consumer health R&D centre in Hull, as it plans a “revolution” in the retail healthcare sector.
The new centre of scientific excellence will seek to use technology to make treatments for ailments such as indigestion more palatable for consumers using “on the go”.
RB said the site would create 1,200 jobs.
RB Global CEO Rakesh Kapoor repeated his controversial recent claims that developing products such as Nurofen and Strepsils was as much about “mums as molecules” and predicted a huge growth in self-treatment from stores, claiming the NHS could not afford to carry the cost of pain relief for an ageing population.
“This investment is a statement of intent,” said Kapoor. “Self healthcare is a critical part of our future and we hope this centre will become a magnet for talent from across the world.”
Work has already begun on the design and planning aspects of the project and RB said it expects building work to start early in 2015 with the new centre to be fully operational by early 2018.
Chancellor George Osborne welcomed the announcement by RB.
“RB plc is a great British success story and their decision to invest in the UK is testament to the steps this government has taken to make Britain open for business,” he claimed.
No comments yet