Q1 Scientific, a Co Waterford-based provider of stability storage services for the pharma, medical device and life science industries, has been acquired by Cambrex, a US contract pharma company, for an undisclosed sum.
New Jersey-based Cambrex, which is what is known as a contract development and manufacturing organisation, said stability storage and testing was a “critical component” of drug development and the commercialisation of new therapies.
“Q1 Scientific brings world-class capabilities to our ever-expanding portfolio of outsourced pharmaceutical services,” said Cambrex chief executive Tom Loewald. “This acquisition is a natural extension of our current offerings that will broaden and increase our expertise in this critical area, as well as our footprint in the European market.”
Q1 Scientific’s main shareholders before the sale were the company’s founder Louise Grubb as well as fellow directors Tom Brennan and Patsy Carney, who are the co-founders of another Co Waterford pharma company, EirGen.
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The company’s 1,860sq m (20,000sq ft) facility in Co Waterford is validated to meet the specific storage requirements of any pharma projects, with options from -80 degrees storage up to 50+ degrees, with a full range of humidity control. It has almost 40 walk-in stability storage chambers, reach-in freezers and stability units, and ultra-low temperature freezers for biologic therapies. It also provides sample management and transport services.
“We’re pleased to join Cambrex as we continue to provide leading stability storage services to our current customers,” said Q1 Scientific chief executive Stephen Delaney. “With Cambrex’s scientific expertise and scale, we’ll be able to accelerate our growth and offer an integrated suite of analytical services, providing a full range of market-leading solutions for our customers.”
Ms Grubb founded Q1 Scientific in 2012, served as chief executive until 2019 and oversaw its expansion as it gained some of the world’s biggest pharma companies as clients. It was the first company in the pharma industry’s highly regulated stability storage sector to be established in Ireland.
Ms Grubb was previously the founder and managing director of NutriScience, a developer and manufacturer of nutraceuticals for veterinary healthcare, while her latest venture is TriviumVet, co-founded with Mr Brennan, specialises in the development of treatments for chronic diseases in pets.
Ms Grubb was a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year awards in 2016 and was earlier this year named entrepreneur of the year at the Waterford Business Awards.
