Date Created: 30 June 2011
Source: Equateq
A Scottish pharmaceutical production company is set to expand after winning its biggest-ever order, from a US firm with ambitious plans in the cardiovascular health sector.
Lewis-based Equateq will supply Amarin Corporation with large quantities of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for use in AMR101 – an omega oil pharmaceutical under development to combat cardiovascular disease.
Equateq will expand its operations at its facility on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland to meet demand, where it is already manufacturing lipid APIs using its proprietary Maxomega™ technology, an industrial-scale application of HPLC.
Sandy Dobbie, Chairman of Chemical Sciences Scotland, said: “This is fantastic news and we're delighted for Equateq, who have worked extremely hard to make it through a very rigorous selection process and secure this work.
“One of the ways in which Scotland can compete and flourish on the world stage is through international trade, but winning large contracts such as this is not easy when you're competing with similar companies all over the world.
“That's what makes Equateq’s achievement all the more remarkable, and by expanding their facilities and workforce the company will create new skilled jobs in Scotland. The potential rewards are enormous and we will be watching developments with interest.”
About Equateq
Equateq is a privately-owned lipid production company based in the Western Isles of Scotland, where its facility has been concentrating lipids for nearly 30 years.
Equateq is fully cGMP compliant, as certified by the UK’s health authority, the MHRA, and for manufacturing lipid APIs, uses its Maxomega™ technology.
This concentration method is based on advanced HPLC separation, and allows Equateq to deliver specific lipid APIs at up to 99 percent purity at commercial scale.
Equateq video
See how omega oils are made in the Western Isles
Equateq attended BIO2011 in Washington as part of a Scottish Development International led trade mission, which supports Scots biotech and pharmaceutical companies to realize their international potential.