Scottish firm BDD Pharma's breakthrough in drug delivery
BDD Pharma, based at BioCity Glasgow, has developed the OralogiK drug delivery system, a new tablet technology designed to release medication in the body at precisely the right time.
The timed-release system could transform the way patients manage conditions that require medication at specific times, such as ADHD and rheumatoid arthritis.
Read more: 'So proud': Glasgow school earns national award for STEM education.
Carol Thomson, chief executive officer of BDD Pharma, said: "Currently, you take your drug when you wake up in the morning, but it takes about an hour or so to kick in.
"In that period, you can't even tie your shoelaces because you're in so much pain.
"So we have developed a tablet that can be taken before you go to bed.
"It releases while you're asleep, at the right time before waking, and then of course you wake up pain and stiffness-free."
OralogiK is already in advanced development for several treatments.
The ADHD therapy is expected to become the first available next year, offering patients a once-daily tablet instead of multiple doses throughout the day.
The company recently opened a new £2 million Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) laboratory at BioCity.
This facility will allow BDD to accelerate the development and production of future OralogiK and modified-release products.
Carol said: "We will no longer have to outsource the scale-up, so it's going to be very much in our hands, and we will be able to keep manufacturing in Scotland, rather than sending it abroad."
The new facility was funded by existing investors led by Archangels, with support from Scottish Enterprise and a new backer - the British Business Bank.
To mark the opening and celebrate BDD's 25th anniversary, the company hosted a gathering at BioCity Glasgow.
The BDD Pharma team (Image: Supplied) BDD currently employs more than 35 staff and expects further growth as its product pipeline advances.
The company describes itself as a global drug development partner, serving clients from start-ups to major pharmaceutical firms.
It has also adopted lean manufacturing principles from other industries.
Calum Stevens, commercial director, said: "Traditionally, people would have to go and find someone to fix their formulation, someone to do the GMP manufacture and someone to take on the clinical work.
"And they would all have minimum quantities, minimum orders, lengthy timescales and would not communicate effectively with each other,' he explained.
'So instead of that siloed approach, we offer all of this under one roof.
"It means that we can move with great flexibility and great rapidity between these stages so that it's just much less for our clients to worry about.'
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Gerry McCarron, an account manager from Scottish Enterprise, called BDD a "Scottish success story" and said the organisation is proud to support its growth and innovation.
He said: 'Scottish Enterprise supports businesses to scale up through innovation and investment, with life sciences being an area where we see huge potential for high growth.
'We are backing ambitious companies like BDD Pharma to develop and deliver groundbreaking solutions to real-world problems, in high-quality labs, in turn attracting other businesses to tap into that supply chain and find their home in Scotland too.
"It is fantastic to see the new facility at BioCity, which looks set to be an exciting hub for life sciences in Glasgow.'
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
UK Government promises Edinburgh festivals new investment
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But it is going to take a lot of effort to keep them there, so have to work with the festivals to make sure they stay right at the pinnacle of the international cultural scene. 'They are not just Edinburgh's festivals. They are international festivals which happen to be in Edinburgh and we are very lucky to have them here. 'I want to work with the festivals make to sure they don't just stay as they are, but that they can flourish and develop.' Mr Murray, who has been an Edinburgh MP since 2010, suggested the Government wanted to recognise and capitalise on the full range of benefits delivered from Edinburgh's festivals, which were valued at £407m to the economy in 2023. He told The Herald: 'Our cultural organisations are really good door-openers for all sorts of things to do with trade and diplomacy, and to bring people here to enjoy themselves, and to invest, live and work here. 'The festivals are cultural institutions that we should nurture. 'We need to bring new money into them, but there are a whole host of structural things around the festivals that need to be dealt with, for example the cost of accommodation for people coming here, transport and connectivity, and pushing the festivals out of the centre of Edinburgh into more of our communities. 'We are working with them to make sure that we can put in place not just funding, but also the regulatory environment to make sure they can thrive. "It is about both governments working together. We should be working together to make sure we get maximum back for the taxpayer buck when when it is going into these kind of cultural institutions.' Mr Murray said he fully supported calls for Edinburgh's festivals to secure a share of the city's new tourist tax, which will be applied to all bookings in the made for next summer on or after October 1 this year. He added: "The visitor levy is about having visitors contributing a bit into the city in order for the city to give a bit back. That should be going into culture, public realm and connectivity.'
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
Taxing rich never on agenda when politicians talk 'tough'
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Here's what needs to change He insisted that axing the payment was a false economy that was never going to save the government any money, noting the links between cold weather and increased NHS bills, particularly when it comes to pensioners. The Chancellor's partial U-turn will result in an estimated £120 million in funding for the Scottish Government. This will leave a shortfall of £20 to £40 million which the Scottish Government will have to find elsewhere in the Scottish budget. Anas Sarwar will then stand up at FMQs and denounce this as SNP cuts. The BBC has reported that Scottish rubbish will have to be exported to England. The Scottish government is banning "black bag" waste from being buried in landfill from 31 December but acknowledges that there are not currently enough incinerators to meet the extra demand. 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Party leader Russell Findlay (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)They're not wrong though. Whenever there's a fascist rally or an Orange Walk, Union flags are prominently displayed. An Orange Walk without a Union flag is not an Orange Walk – it's just a few badly dressed bigots sauntering to a drunken hate fest. Especially since the independence referendum of 2014, the Union flag has been intensely political in Scotland. It is disingenuous in the extreme to pretend that displaying the Union flag in Scotland is politically neutral or that it does not have connotations of sectarianism or taking sides in Scotland's constitutional debate. But where there's a Tory, there's a British nationalist in search of something to feel victimised by. Russell Findlay, the current branch manager of the Tories in Scotland took to social media to harrumph: 'This is what happens when the SNP's toxic nationalism infects schools and councils. Our country's flag is NOT 'offensive or sectarian'.' The only reason so many people in Scotland feel uncomfortable with the Union flag is due to the toxic Anglo-British nationalism of the Tories and Labour. Both parties were more than happy to play the sectarian card in the recent Hamilton, Larkhall, and Stonehouse by election, with a Labour candidate who made big play of his links to Rangers and a Tory candidate who is a member of the Orange Order.
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
Union fury as John Swinney says public sector has to shrink
First Minister accused of raising the prospect of job losses through political choice rather than financial necessity Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... John Swinney has been warned there is 'no justification' for job cuts after he forecast that Scotland's public sector will have to shrink. The First Minister raised the prospect of cutbacks during a speech in Glasgow on Monday, but said his government is committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He pledged a 'national project of renewal' to overhaul all aspects of Scotland's public sector, including the NHS, education, local government and criminal justice. First Minister John Swinney, speaking at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. | Robert Perry/Press Association But Unison described cuts as a 'political choice' rather than a financial necessity and said the First Minister should use his increased budget to hire more public service staff. Last week Chancellor Rachel Reeves set out the UK Government's spending review, in which she said Holyrood's budget will increase by £2.9 billion a year on average. She said the block grant funding from Westminster will reach £52bn by 2029, making it the 'largest settlement in real terms since devolution'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Lilian Macer, Scottish secretary at Unison, said: 'There is no justification for job cuts in public services - these are political choices, not financial necessities. Lilian Macer from Unison Scotland. | Julie Broadfoot 'The First Minister's budget is increasing, and he also holds the power to raise revenue. 'Scotland's public services need more staff, not fewer. 'NHS waiting lists are at their longest since devolution, social care is in crisis, and local government has been hollowed out by over a decade of cuts. 'Public services are already stretched to breaking point. 'Staff go above and beyond every day - working longer hours, skipping breaks, and plugging the gaps to keep services going. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The First Minister must prioritise our communities and not leave them paying the prices for yet more cuts to the services we all depend on.' Much of his speech focused on the use of new technologies such as AI to help make public services easier to access and more efficient. When asked how many public sector job losses there will be after a reset of public services, Mr Swinney said: 'I think there's undoubtedly going to be. 'We've made it clear there will have to be contractions in the public sector workforce in the years to come - that's an inevitable part of the management of public finances, given the outlook we got from the UK Government's spending review. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'That has to be undertaken in a way that does not in any way shape or form damage the outcomes that people can expect from public services. 'Therefore, the approach that we are taking is about making sure that at all times we are focused on the creation of sustainability within our public services.' Mr Swinney said there is no firm figure yet on how many job losses there will be, and said it will become clearer as the government works on its medium term financial strategy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, the First Minister ruled out any compulsory redundancies. This comes after a plan put forward by Kate Forbes when she was finance secretary under Nicola Sturgeon. Ms Forbes drew up a plan to cut thousands of public sector jobs to bring the number back down to pre-pandemic levels. In 2022 she feared the public sector job losses could be as high as 30,000. Last summer the current Finance Secretary Shona Robison confirmed a freeze in public sector recruitment in all but 'essential frontline' posts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Swinney's speech was criticised by opposition politicians in Holyrood. Michael Marra MSP, Scottish Labour's finance spokesman, said: 'Scotland will see right through this pathetic spin from John Swinney. Michael Marra MSP and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar. | Jane Barlow/PA Wire 'Labour has decisively ended Tory austerity, boosting funding for the Scottish Government by £5.2bn already and pledging an extra £9bn over the next three years - but SNP incompetence is still holding us back. 'Despite Labour providing record funding for Scotland, our finances are still under pressure because of the SNP's poor planning, woeful economic failure, and rampant waste. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This admission of failure from a tired leader out of step with the country confirms that the only way to get a new direction for Scotland is to elect a Scottish Labour government in 2026. 'The SNP cannot be trusted with public money - but a Scottish Labour government will end SNP incompetence and spend public money wisely, making sure that it funds frontline services instead of government bureaucracy.' Craig Hoy MSP, the Scottish Conservatives' finance spokesman, added: 'John Swinney's comments are a damning indictment of the SNP government's financial mismanagement. Craig Hoy MSP. 'The nationalists have squandered taxpayers' cash on an increasingly bloated public sector with ever-expanding quangos - and even the First Minister now admits it's no longer sustainable. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The Scottish Conservatives have been telling the SNP this for years, but they chose to stick their fingers in their ears. 'Hard-working Scots have been clobbered with ever-rising taxes to pay for this profligacy. 'Now the chickens are coming home to roost for Swinney, the public will have no confidence in him to identify and eliminate waste while protecting frontline services.' In his speech at Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Mr Swinney also committed to the devolved version of pensioners' winter fuel payments matching the value of the UK benefit. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Earlier this month the Labour UK government said it was reinstating a winter fuel payment of up to £300 for pensioners with an income of less than £35,000 in England and Wales. There were fears this would leave pensioners in Scotland receiving less money, as the scheme introduced by the SNP would give them only £100 unless they were in receipt of pension credit or over the age of 80. However, the First Minister on Monday confirmed that no pensioner in Scotland would receive less money than those south of the Border. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mr Swinney said: "I can confirm today that no pensioner in Scotland will receive less under the new UK government scheme. The details will be set out soon, but the Scottish Government will always seek to do what's best for Scotland's pensioners." In his speech, Mr Swinney also said he was "appalled" when the Labour government in Westminster scrapped universal winter fuel payments last summer. He said: "To be blunt, I don't believe cutting winter fuel payments was ever going to save a penny because making millions of pensioners poorer makes them colder, which makes them sicker. "That is turn puts up the bill for social services and the NHS." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The First Minister also hit out at Scottish Secretary Ian Murray over how much money would be coming the Scottish Government's way from the Treasury for the winter fuel payments. Mr Swinney questioned Mr Murray's claim that it will be around £250 million. He said: 'We will set out the details about winter fuel payments in due course, but there's no way in a month of Sundays it will be £250m. I don't know what Ian Murray was blathering on about.
