The Glyco Sythesis Facility

Forerunner of New Pharmaceutical Industry in New ZealandMarch 2003New Zealand’s potential as a high-value manufacturer of next generation drugs that target cancer and other diseases was signalled with the opening of a $7 million facility in Lower Hutt today (26 March 2003).Opened by the Prime Minister, Helen Clark, Industrial Research’s “Glyco Synthesis” facility was a tangible further step towards creating a knowledge-based economy, according to chief executive Nigel Kirkpatrick.“This is an investment in a whole new industry for New Zealand,” he said.“We’ve got world-leading expertise in aspects of pharmaceutical process development and manufacture. We need to capture full value from that expertise for New Zealand.”The Glyco Synthesis facility built on the internationally renowned small molecule drug design and synthesis skills of Industrial Research’s carbohydrate chemistry team developed over the last 25 years, Mr Kirkpatrick said. (“Glyco” is another term for carbohydrate or sugar.)“We’re scaling that expertise up from the laboratory bench to small-scale manufacture.”The decision by Industrial Research to invest its own money to build this facility was part of the company’s new strategy of involving itself more in the commercialisation of science and technology, he said.“We’re investing in the ability to produce commercial quantities of complex, next generation pharmaceuticals, at a scale needed for undertaking clinical trials. These pharmaceutical components can be worth tens of thousands per milligram.
Nutraceuticals can empower pharmaceuticals.