Newhouse Research Site
Encyclopedia
The Newhouse Research Site is a drug research
facility situated 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Glasgow
in central Scotland. It is located beside the M8 motorway in Newhouse
, North Lanarkshire
. The site is an early drug discovery
research centre with a track record of generating a succession of products in the areas of anaesthesia and psychiatry
. In 2007, the Royal Society of Chemistry
Malcolm Campbell Memorial Prize was awarded to researchers for its work on a new anaesthesia drug, sugamadex. It currently employs 250 scientists across a range of disciplines including medicinal chemistry
, molecular biology
and drug metabolism
. The site is currently the largest private drug discovery centre in Scotland
, and one of the biggest in the UK.
in 1948 and has continued to grow throughout the years. Scientists at the site are responsible for the invention of a succession of successful products, two of which have recently received approval. Organon was acquired by Schering-Plough
in 2007, and the site was further expanded with the addition of one of the largest compound management facilities in the industry. Schering-Plough merged with Merck
(known as MSD outside of North America) at the end of 2009.
as well as a number of other drugs. In another major advance the reversal agent sugammadex
was the first selective relaxant binding agent (SRBA) for Neuromuscular Block Reversal to be identified, and has recently entered the market in Europe. On the psychiatric front researchers at Newhouse supported the development of mirtazepine, a novel tetracyclic
anti-depressant which has become widely prescribed throughout the world. More recently the site was closely involved in supporting the introduction of the anti-psychotic asenapine
which has just been launched for the treatment of schizophrenia
and bipolar disorder
.
Drug development
Drug development is a blanket term used to define the process of bringing a new drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified through the process of drug discovery...
facility situated 15 miles (24.1 km) east of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
in central Scotland. It is located beside the M8 motorway in Newhouse
Newhouse, North Lanarkshire
Newhouse is a hamlet and major road interchange located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Sited 2 miles from the village of Salsburgh, from nearby Holytown and about north east of Motherwell....
, North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire is one of 32 council areas in Scotland. It borders onto the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains much of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also borders Stirling, Falkirk, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian and South Lanarkshire...
. The site is an early drug discovery
Drug discovery
In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which drugs are discovered or designed.In the past most drugs have been discovered either by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by serendipitous discovery...
research centre with a track record of generating a succession of products in the areas of anaesthesia and psychiatry
Psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the study and treatment of mental disorders. These mental disorders include various affective, behavioural, cognitive and perceptual abnormalities...
. In 2007, the Royal Society of Chemistry
Royal Society of Chemistry
The Royal Society of Chemistry is a learned society in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemical sciences." It was formed in 1980 from the merger of the Chemical Society, the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society and the Society for Analytical Chemistry with a new...
Malcolm Campbell Memorial Prize was awarded to researchers for its work on a new anaesthesia drug, sugamadex. It currently employs 250 scientists across a range of disciplines including medicinal chemistry
Medicinal chemistry
Medicinal chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry are disciplines at the intersection of chemistry, especially synthetic organic chemistry, and pharmacology and various other biological specialties, where it is involved with design, chemical synthesis and development for market of pharmaceutical...
, molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
and drug metabolism
Drug metabolism
Drug metabolism is the biochemical modification of pharmaceutical substances by living organisms, usually through specialized enzymatic systems. This is a form of xenobiotic metabolism. Drug metabolism often converts lipophilic chemical compounds into more readily excreted polar products...
. The site is currently the largest private drug discovery centre in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and one of the biggest in the UK.
History
The 20 acres (8.1 ha) campus was acquired by OrganonOrganon International
Organon is a human pharmaceutical company headquartered in Oss, Netherlands. In November 2007 the company became a part of Schering-Plough Corporation, acquired Organon, active pharmaceutical ingredient producer Diosynth , and its veterinary pharmaceutical sister company Intervet from Akzo Nobel. ...
in 1948 and has continued to grow throughout the years. Scientists at the site are responsible for the invention of a succession of successful products, two of which have recently received approval. Organon was acquired by Schering-Plough
Schering-Plough
Schering-Plough Corporation was a United States-based pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering as Schering AG in Germany. In 1971, the Schering Corporation merged with Plough to form Schering-Plough. On November 4, 2009 Merck & Co...
in 2007, and the site was further expanded with the addition of one of the largest compound management facilities in the industry. Schering-Plough merged with Merck
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
(known as MSD outside of North America) at the end of 2009.
Products
The site has a long history of research in the area of neuromuscular blockers, which are commonly used during surgery, and was responsible for the identification of rocuroniumRocuronium
Rocuronium is an aminosteroid non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocker or muscle relaxant used in modern anaesthesia, to facilitate endotracheal intubation and to provide skeletal muscle relaxation during surgery or mechanical ventilation.Introduced in 1994, rocuronium has...
as well as a number of other drugs. In another major advance the reversal agent sugammadex
Sugammadex
Sugammadex is an agent for reversal of neuromuscular blockade by the agent rocuronium in general anaesthesia. It is the first selective relaxant binding agent and was discovered at the Newhouse research site in Scotland. . These scientists who discovered Sugammadex worked for the pharmaceutical...
was the first selective relaxant binding agent (SRBA) for Neuromuscular Block Reversal to be identified, and has recently entered the market in Europe. On the psychiatric front researchers at Newhouse supported the development of mirtazepine, a novel tetracyclic
Tetracyclic
Tetracyclic may refer to* any of a number of cyclic compounds containing four rings. They have various pharmaceutical uses; see Tetracyclic drug group.* cyclic flowers constructed of four whorls....
anti-depressant which has become widely prescribed throughout the world. More recently the site was closely involved in supporting the introduction of the anti-psychotic asenapine
Asenapine
Asenapine is a new atypical antipsychotic developed for the treatment of schizophrenia and acute mania associated with bipolar disorder by Schering-Plough after its November 19, 2007 merger with Organon International. Development of the drug, through Phase III trials, began while Organon was still...
which has just been launched for the treatment of schizophrenia
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
and bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
.