Sunderland's Onyx Scientific shrugs off the recession

May 14 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

PHARMACEUTICAL group Onyx Scientific has capped its busiest year by finding a strong demand for its new service for drugs developers.

The Sunderland company, which has 60 staff and services seven of the top 10 blue-chip pharmaceutical firms in the world, says it is finding a growing market for its fledgling solid state chemistry division.

The company has created a service which allows drug development businesses to achieve more consistency in their products.

Company founder and CEO Dr Tony Flinn said: “Each new drug that a pharmaceutical firm develops has to be made to a particular consistent form and we have means to ensure that we make the right form each time. We are getting jobs all the time for that, although it’s still early days for us. From last October to February we had our best five months ever.”

Dr Flinn also said the company is continuing its focus on the lucrative US market and its existing European partnerships, including those in Germany and Sweden.

In 2007, Dr Flinn, who founded the business with the late Steve Bone, led a management buy-out, taking ownership of 35% with the rest of the company owned by his fellow directors.