05:08 AM EDT, 09/15/2025 (MT Newswires) -- (Updates with comments from AstraZeneca ( AZN ) in the first paragraph and stock move in the fifth paragraph.)

AstraZeneca ( AZN ) said, in a statement to MT Newswires, the company constantly reassesses its investment needs and has paused its expansion in Cambridge.

The project was announced in March 2024 and had a planned 200 million pounds ($271.3 million) investment for the Cambridge research hub, and was expected to create 1,000 jobs, Reuters reported Friday.

The decision follows AstraZeneca's ( AZN ) January cancellation of a 450 million pounds vaccine plant in northern England and comes the same week Merck ( MRK ) scrapped plans for a London research center, both citing challenging UK conditions, the report said.

The pause adds to concerns about Britain's ability to attract and retain major life sciences investments, even with Cambridge as a leading European biotech hub, Reuters noted.

Shares of AstraZeneca ( AZN ) were down more than 2% in recent Monday premarket activity.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)