Onyx Scientific has announced an investment of more than £1.5m to expand its Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facilities, and increase capacity for commercial active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production at the company’s Sunderland UK facility.
Onyx Scientific
Four new GMP suites will take its total from six to ten, boosting capacity for commercial API production and supporting faster delivery of early-phase programmes.
The additional suites will allow increased production for commercial clients and give Onyx greater flexibility to complete early phase GMP manufacture within accelerated timescales.
The investment also covers new infrastructure and equipment, demonstrating Onyx’s commitment to the sector and continued capacity growth. It will initially create nine new jobs in production chemistry, analytical and quality assurance, an overall increase of approximately 8%, with plans to increase headcount further in the near future.
The new capacity is expected to come online Q1 2027 and marks an exciting phase in Onyx’s 26 year history of investment in innovation, technology and skills.
Chris Atherton, commercial director at Onyx Scientific, said: “This investment marks a significant commitment to our clients, enabling us to grow production to meet increased demand across our early-phase and commercial pipelines.”
“In a fast-paced industry, we have seen significant growth in these areas, which has underpinned the decision to expand our facility. Our pipeline is growing, and we want to set ourselves up for the future, ensuring that our capacity grows with demand.
“Behind every API project is a potential life-saving medicine and a team working hard to move it forward. This investment gives our scientists more space and support to help clients' drug development programs progress safely and efficiently.”
The latest round of investment represents Onyx’s confidence in the business moving forwards, and is another step in a long-term investment in its CMC platform.
The expanded footprint will give Onyx greater flexibility across production scheduling, allowing commercial campaigns and time sensitive early phase GMP programmes to be accommodated alongside one another.
Atherton continued: “Clients value continuity as a molecule progresses. As specialists in the sector, we understand that drug development rarely follows a completely predictable timetable. Programmes can accelerate quickly as new data emerges, so the additional capacity will allow our teams more flexibility and give them the right environment to continue to deliver high quality work. We are looking forward to hitting the ground running having started the work on the development in August.”
The investment also reinforces Onyx’s long-term commitment to Sunderland and the wider North East, where the life sciences sector continues to play an important role in the regional economy.
Phil Witcherley, director of Economic Growth and Innovation at the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, said: “The life sciences sector is important for the North East economy and is part of the region's local growth plan. We are delighted to see this investment that will create skilled jobs in Sunderland and further show that our region is a great place for this sector.”
As a trusted partner to many of the world’s top pharmaceutical and biotech companies, Onyx’s UK and US facilities support small molecule drug programmes through their lifecycle, with integrated Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) capabilities spanning process R&D, solid-state chemistry, analytical development, Phase I-III GMP manufacture and commercial API supply.
With deep technical expertise and strong market credibility, the business has been focused on building greater momentum in both brand visibility and commercial growth.