Drug discovery and development
Scotland is at the forefront of leading-edge drug research and development. Working with Scotland – or being based here – will give you access to a rich pool of innovation. There’s a large number of successful companies operating in the drug discovery sector in Scotland, including multinationals such as Organon and Quintiles.
There are also a number of rapidly growing specialist pharmaceutical companies such as ProStrakan and Cyclacel.
There are 18 life science companies specifically focused on the drug discovery and development process. Key areas include:
- New anti-infectives.
- Cancer diagnosis and treatment.
- Accelerating drug development and reducing product attrition.
- Human antibody-producing cell lines for use against infectious diseases.
- Psychiatric and neurological disorders.
- Reproductive health.
- Anti-inflammatories.
What’s more, Scotland has over 200 organisations involved in the support and supply of the drug discovery and development process.
Find out more about Scotland's drug discovery and development companies
World class academic research
Scotland is internationally renowned for excellence in scientific research and development, particularly in the areas of oncology, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, central nervous system diseases, stem cells and regenerative medicine. Working with Scotland’s life science knowledge base can give you access not only to quality research but also a significant proportion of UK funding.
In addition, Scottish Universities are commercially focused and collaborate extensively with the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. For example, Dundee DSTT Consortium is working with a consortia of six leading pharmaceutical companies in kinase research.
Clinical research expertise
More medical research is conducted per capita in Scotland than anywhere else in Europe, and 20 per cent of all the money spent on clinical research in the UK is spent in Scotland.
Strong Clinical Pipeline
Scottish companies have 19 drugs in clinical development, with almost 75 per cent at Phase II and above. This represents 22 per cent of the UK total. Scotland is the ideal location to develop your life science innovation.
Unique CRO resource
Established network of over 40 pharmaceutical trials and contract research organisations support, including three world leaders.
Contract Research Organisations
Highly skilled workforce
With figures like 30 per cent of the UK’s Microbiology PhD’s, Scotland produces a disproportionately high number of life science graduates in the UK, making it the ideal location for complex drug research and development
Scotland’s government supports the life science sector
Scotland provides a highly supportive and attractive regulatory environment for life science companies to innovate and research. Numerous government supported incubators and science parks, various funding packages available. ITI life sciences has been established looking at future developments in sector
Find out more about the supportive environment for life sciences in Scotland