Small is beautiful – How Moorfields Pharmaceuticals became the first name in ophthalmics

At the end of last year, Moorfields Pharmaceuticals, a leading manufacturer of specialist ophthalmics, recorded its 100,000th customer sale and became the first business to prove that an organisation borne out of NHS pedigree stock can reach the premier league in the commercial world.

Originally set-up as a dedicated manufacturing facility for the world-renowned Moorfields Eye Hospital, it has taken the organisation just three years from moving into its new facility to establish itself as a successful niche player in the manufacture of specialist ophthalmic medicines serving a far wider UK and European customer base. From a purpose-built manufacturing facility hidden underground close to London’s financial district, Moorfields Pharmaceuticals operates a highly unique operation for the production of one of the widest range of ophthalmic drugs available anywhere in the UK.

Specials

This includes Specials, the term given to the group of unlicensed medicines that are prescribed to patients, on an individual basis for the very specific treatment of a clinical condition. It is an area where Moorfields Pharmaceuticals has excelled, partly due to their famous NHS heritage, but also due to their flexibility and expertise in producing very small amounts of a particular medicine quickly and accurately. They have also recognised opportunities for product development and will be the first to make many of their Specials available in a single-dose, ‘preservative-free’ format.

Explains Moorfields md, Alan Krol; “We could manufacture any sterile liquids but our decision to focus primarily on ‘eyes’ has been the right one. By concentrating on what we’re already really good at, we have been able to become the industry experts.”

Contract

As the company’s reputation has grown, so too has the service portfolio. Contract manufacture, for example, has grown out of recognition that the company can produce and pack very small batches of pharmaceutical products to a very high standard of compliance and quality. This has led to a booming business sector where major pharmaceutical companies approach Moorfields Pharmaceuticals to manufacture products for clinical trials and commercial use.

Licensed medicines

Moorfields Pharmaceuticals also plans to build on its ophthalmic credentials by establishing its own range of licensed products. The first to be given a license was Hypromellose 0.3 per cent preservative free eye drops, an established product for the treatment of dry eyes. Moorfields has also given it its own unique twist by producing a ‘single dose’ version that offers a new level of product performance and patient compliance.

“Products and manufacture is only a part of the business success, however.” Says Alan, “We had established a strong business based on innovative and technically excellent products, but we realised to be really successful we had to raise our game and offer the service to match.”

“We don’t just want to be a reactive organisation that responds to an order and delivers - that’s a given. Our strength is in our knowledge, expertise and flexibility. A customer can call us with a question, a request, a challenge and we’ll find a solution. We also never forget that the patient is only one step removed.”

To that end, Alan has assembled a management team with experience of all walks of commercial pharmaceutical businesses to develop Moorfields Pharmaceuticals.

Concludes Alan, “By staying close to our marketplace, we can always deliver the best service – it’s a case of small is beautiful”

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PR Contact: Lyn or Amelia on +44 (0)208 995 5354 or Amelia@wallacehcl.com

Editors Notes:

2008

Notes:

1. Moorfields has prepared products in response to clinical needs for over 50 years, and in

 the early 1990s, it was identified as a revenue generating opportunity.

2. In 2003 a purpose-built manufacturing facility was opened on a separate site next to

 Moorfields Eye Hospital.

3. MHRA licences awarded in 2004.

4. Moorfields Eye Hospital awarded Foundation Trust status in April 2004 and Moorfields

 Pharmaceuticals established as autonomous business unit.