European Pharmaceutical Review was invited to the grand opening Richmond Pharmacology‘s new clinical research facility in central London. There was an enormous turnout for the event, with guest speakers including the MP for Southwark Neil Coyle, Sarah Haywood, Chief Executive Officer of Med City UK, Professor John Camm, Professor of Cardiology at St.George’s Hospital as well as Mayor of Southwark, Cllr Kath Whittam, to officially open the centre.
Richmond
Sarah Haywood, Dr Jorg Taubel, Cllr Kath Whittam, Professor John Camm and MP Neil Coyle (left to right)
With Richmond having already conducted over 300 studies in London since their establishment in 2001, the new facility will provide a central London base for Richmond Pharmacology’s further research utilising their enhanced capabilities in delivering world-leading, early-phase clinical trials. The location is on the doorstep of several world renowned teaching hospitals which will further enhance Richmond’s established collaboration with London’s leading university and teaching hospitals.
Richmond Pharmacology specialise in conducting complex and cutting edge trials which are highly respected by the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory authorities responsible for licensing medicines worldwide, often in crucial disease areas such as oncology and amyloidosis.
Overall the company conducts approximately 10% of all Phase I studies performed in the UK and 1 in every 100 studies worldwide.
Richmond’s CEO, Dr Jorg Taubel
Richmond Pharmacology’s CEO, Dr Jorg Taubel, outlines the goals of the new centre, and Richmond’s ethos for business, in his introduction. You can listen to the full speech by pressing the play button on the sound clip below.
"It is always a very special privilege to open a new unit, a life changing thing really and I’m glad you could all come. I’m Dr Jorg Taubel and I’m the Chief Executive, and one of the three founders of Richmond pharmacology, and in fact, all of us are still here. It’s been 15 years and two days precisely since we opened our first unit in Wimbledon."
The people of Richmond
"Let me just say what Richmond is about: We are Richmond, we are about innovation, creating knowledge, that’s what we do. And we are about healthcare. But Richmond really is its people."
Location, location, location
"That brings us to where we are today – I think we really do have a really nice new place. It is about access, so it is nice to have good premises and you will have noticed the central London location. It’s close to train stations, the underground and we have a lot of hospital beds around us, a lot of consultants, a lot of infrastructure – as any estate agent will tell you it is all about location, location, location – so here we are, in the middle of London, and I can’t think of any better place."
First-in-human trials
"Richmond is about the creation of knowledge. We as a group are working in a very interesting space in clinical research. We are often the people who put a drug first into man. And, if successful, that means there will be further trials downstream. In the UK, we have an incredibly important and vibrant resourceful life sciences sector, supported by one of the world’s best – and actually I’ll make a case, it is THE best, regulatory agency, the MHRA. We want to make an important contribution to life sciences in the UK, and indeed in the world."
What makes Richmond different?
"I think it is a little bit like the challenge of building a ship, although it is complex and difficult, the success really is derived from the continued maintenance of that operation, coming back again to people and processes. Ships need crews that are confident, that are well trained, and who work well together, to keep that ship afloat. That is what we do as a company."
Academic collaboration
"Having this platform also makes us good partners for academic research, for those who don’t see us as competition, but as an additional skill set, to what they are going to be doing. We are more likely to be successful in taking a collaborative approach. And I believe very passionately about collaboration because to me, all human endeavours, come out of suc...
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