The Leverkusen-based firm has been touting the potential of its pharmaceutical pipeline which it hopes will be able to help soften the blow of patent expiries on the blockbusters Xarelto and Eylea in the next few years.

UniQure has a potential first-mover advantage, but Freeline study's investigator compares FLT180a to later model smartphones with bugs fixed.

The development and commercialization of cell and gene therapies during a pandemic, with regulators and payers demanding more data on effect duration and safety, has resulted in headwinds. Added to manufacturing and clinical trial recruitment issues, investors’ patience has been strained.

The big winners of the night were AstraZeneca and Roche as pharma, biotech and allied industries came together online on 2 December to celebrate during a ceremony hosted by Ed Balls.