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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.
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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.'
