New Piramal suite opened
Investment in company creating new cancer ‘smart bomb’
A new Grangemouth based manufacturing suite of pharmaceutical giant Piramal was today officially opened by the Deputy First Minister.
The manufacturing suite – which was upgraded with the help of £145,000 of Scottish Enterprise funding – now produces a new class of cancer drugs called ADCs. The drugs are reported to hunt out and specifically kill the cancerous cells – like a ‘smart bomb’.
ADCs have recently been approved for use in the USA and will soon be reviewed for use in Europe.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I am delighted to be officially opening Piramal’s latest state of the art suite – and see first hand the manufacture of the only licensed cancer drugs of this kind in the world.
“These new drugs will be reviewed for a European licence soon – providing an opportunity for them to be considered for use in the NHS in Scotland ahead of the rest of the UK.
“The company employs around 85 people, with the new suite creating 15 of those jobs. This is an excellent addition to Scotland’s diverse and well established life sciences base which boasts more than 640 organisations and employs around 32,000 people.
“Investment in health research and development has the potential to turn cutting-edge research into real health benefits.”
Terry Cooke, Site Lead, Piramal Healthcare Ltd. Grangemouth said: “We’re very excited about this new class of anti cancer medicine that we manufacture here at Piramal Healthcare in Grangemouth and we all take great pride in the fact that they are so effective in saving peoples lives.
"This visit by the Deputy First Minister to open our new manufacturing suite is fantastic recognition of the work that’s done here and complements the invaluable support we’ve received from Scottish Enterprise.”
Linda Hanna, company growth director, Scottish Enterprise, said: "The expansion of Piramal's Grangemouth facilities is further evidence of Scotland's growing reputation as the ideal place to locate and do business. Investment like this provides new jobs and delivers new business opportunities and supply chain development across the local economy and throughout Scotland.
"Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International in India have worked closely with Piramal Healthcare Ltd to provide an integrated package of support including account management and a recent Regional Selective Assistance award of £145,000 to create 15 additional high value jobs. This support has helped the company enter the American drug market and will enable a licence to be sought for the use of the drug in the European market.
"Piramal Healthcare Ltd, is a globally focused company with ambitious growth plans for the future and Scottish Enterprise looks forward to continuing to work with the team to help further develop the company's investment in Scotland."