4th April 2007
CAT.57
R5 PHARMACEUTICALS GEARS-UP FOR GROWTH
Nottingham-based R5 Pharmaceuticals, one of the most exciting new biotech/pharmaceutical services companies in the UK, has received funding of £250K from Catapult Venture Managers to help take the business to the next stage of development.
Alongside the funding from Catapult – managers of the East Midlands Regional Venture Capital Fund – there have been investments from the R5 management team and BioCity, where the company is located.
R5 delivers appropriate solutions for the development of safe and effective pharmaceuticals materials to be used in clinical studies. R5 is applying its expertise to paediatric products and the new and rapidly evolving area of nutraceuticals, both of which are coming under increasing pharmaceutical regulation.
R5’s state-of-the-art facilities include one of the very few cleanrooms in Europe, ensuring the highest level of sterile product development. This is absolutely essential in clinical development to ensure that the final product will provide therapeutic benefits to the patient whilst maintaining its safety in humans,
Jonathan Earl, Investment Manager with Catapult Venture Managers, commented: “The future for R5 is very exciting. The business has a very strong management team with a proven track record and many decades of experience between them. Their knowledge of the sector and their contact base should prove invaluable in moving the business forward.”
The R5 team is led by Dr. Ian Wilding, non-executive chairman with more than 20 years experience as a pharmaceutical scientist and entrepreneur in the bioscience community; and Paul Titley, the company’s chief executive officer who has worked in the development and manufacture of pharmaceuticals for over 30 years.
Paul Titley commented: “R5 Pharmaceuticals brings together some of the most well-respected names in the industry who are set to deliver pharmaceutical development services that are second to none. The laboratories, manufacturing suite and cleanroom that R5 has built at BioCity will quickly enable it to establish itself as the development contractor of choice.”
Catapult managing director Rob Carroll, who worked with Jonathan Earl on the putting together the funding package, said: “R5 is a very exciting company within our client portfolio. The strength and experience of the management team should ensure that full advantage is taken of the available opportunities within the marketplace, particularly given the shortage of sterile facilities within the sector.”
v BioCity in Nottingham is a healthcare and bioscience innovation and incubation centre that was made possible by a huge donation of laboratory and office buildings and equipment from BASF to Nottingham Trent University in 2001. Through the use of a pre-existing, purpose-built building, along with high specification, reclaimed equipment, R5 Pharmaceuticals made a saving of nearly £5 million pounds in start-up costs, immediately placing the company in an excellent position to offer the highest quality services.
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For further information please contact either Rob Carroll or Jonathan Earl at Catapult Venture Managers on 0870 116 1600, or Paul Shrimpton at PSPR Ltd on 0121 354 7311.
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