Onyx Scientific has announced an investment of more than £1.5m to expand its GMP facilities and increase commercial API manufacturing capacity at its Sunderland site, giving pharmaceutical and biotech clients faster access to both early-phase and commercial-scale manufacturing as demand across its pipeline continues to grow.

Four new GMP suites will take the site's total from six to ten, increasing capacity for commercial API production and faster delivery of early-phase programmes; the investment also covers new infrastructure and equipment and will initially create nine new jobs, an increase of approximately 8 per cent.

The new capacity is expected to come online in the first quarter of 2027 and marks a further phase in Onyx's 26-year history of investment in innovation, technology and skills, giving the company greater flexibility to schedule commercial campaigns and time-sensitive early-phase GMP programmes alongside one another.

Onyx Scientific, founded in 2000 and based in Sunderland, is the CDMO division of India's Ipca Laboratories, supporting small molecule drug programmes through integrated chemistry, manufacturing and controls capabilities spanning process research, solid-state chemistry, analytical development, GMP manufacture and commercial API supply.

Chris Atherton, commercial director at Onyx Scientific, said the investment marks a significant commitment to clients, enabling the business to grow production to meet increased demand across its pipeline. He said clients value the continuity the additional capacity will bring as molecules progress through often unpredictable development timetables.

Phil Witcherley, director of economic growth and innovation at the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, said the life sciences sector is important to the regional economy, welcoming the skilled jobs the investment will create in Sunderland.

The investment reflects a wider pattern among small molecule CDMOs of expanding commercial-scale GMP capacity to serve growing early-phase and commercial pipelines simultaneously, rather than choosing between clinical and commercial-scale investment.

The timing tracks sustained growth in small molecule API contract manufacturing, forecast to expand from $46.59bn in 2025 to $80.74bn by 2033, according to Grand View Research, as pharma and biotech companies increasingly outsource complex API production.

For the sector, Onyx's ownership under India's Ipca Laboratories illustrates how UK CDMO capacity increasingly depends on capital allocation decisions made by larger overseas pharmaceutical groups, rather than standalone UK investment alone.

Source: Scientist Live / Grand View Research