The new equipment includes a state-of-the-art ion chromatography system, which the company said had already been put to use in two new projects requiring specialist analytical instrumentation.
In addition to the equipment, Quay’s new 40,400 sq. ft. Deeside facility has also undergone a successful re-inspection by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), ensuring it now conforms to good manufacturing practices (GMP).
Quay spokesman, Bob Bushby, told Outsourcing-Pharma that moving to the new facility meant the company were well positioned to deal with increased client demand for its services.
“The building is four times the size of Quay’s previous premises and features a variety of state-of-the-art equipment that is enabling the company to meet increased demand for its specialist capabilities including formulation, novel drug delivery design, analytical method development and clinical trial manufacture,” he said.
Bushby said the company expected 52 new, high-quality jobs to be created at the site over the next three years.
Leading clients
Flinsthire-headquartered Quay has avoided naming its two new clients, but the company claims one is a leading French biopharma company involved in developing products for neurological disorders, and the other is a new, UK-based pharma company.
In both cases, Quay’s ion chromatography equipment is being used to assay drug substances which conventional high-performance liquid chromatography using ultra violet (UV) is incapable of detecting.
Enhanced services
In addition to the new chromatography equipment, Quay has also expanded its formulation development department to include a new pilot facility offering the capability for early phase work in tableting, coating and capsule filling, as well as more complex processes such as spheronisation.
Mike Rubinstein, Quay’s CEO, said the increased space available in the new premises allowed the company to offer clients a variety new services.
“The move to the new premises has effectively quadrupled the available space for these important departments and will allow us to provide a greatly enhanced range of services to both existing and new customers,” he said.
The company also plans to introduce two new GMP manufacturing suites, but according to Bushby, both are still in the planning stages.