Inhalytic Ltd, based at Discovery Park in Sandwich, Kent, is reshaping the landscape of analytical chemistry testing for inhaled pharmaceuticals. Director Frank Chambers shares insights into the company’s journey…
Could you share the story behind the founding of Inhalytic Ltd?
“Like many, the story started with redundancy. Although I’m no “spring chicken”, I was not ready to retire! In 2018, I was able to acquire surplus inhalation test equipment from a local pharmaceutical company, and I already had a small project with Medway Sciences at the University of Greenwich acting as an industrial consultant, which got me started. Then, through my contacts in the industry, I started to build my consultancy network.
“The big change was when I won a contract to help a startup develop an inhaled drug product for a systemic application. However, the Covid lockdown restricted our ability to use third-party testing houses.
“With the help of my industry contacts network, I was able to plan a path towards setting up a ‘temporary lab’ to supply my client with patent data to start their development programme for real. This three-month project provided us with the foundation for the business and we are still working with this client three years on.”
How do you see Inhalytic Ltd’s services making a positive impact in the world of analytical chemistry testing for inhaled pharmaceuticals?
“First and foremost, we offer consultancy services. I call our company an ‘active consultancy’. Having the lab allows us to provide clients with technical advice and try out new concepts and evaluate their chances of success. We work with them to develop their concept and turn it into a practical product for the market.
“We work at the research end of the development programme. There are already many larger global contract research organisations that have the resources required to support the Phase III studies required for the drug licencing process (though we can manage these programmes for clients). We also offer support to scientific instrument companies to evaluate new equipment aimed at improving the quality of inhaled medicines.
Can you talk about some of the challenges Inhalytic Ltd encountered early on and how the team tackled them?
“Starting up a costly lab function from scratch within a four-month time frame was a challenge! I still look back and wonder how we did it. When we started, it was just me and Karen (my wife) but we were lucky to have fantastic support from our primary client, plus Discovery Park, friends and ex-colleagues that allowed us to put everything together.
“Apart from that, the challenge was simply believing I could do this! I had no idea about how to set up a business. Over the last three years, it has never ceased to amaze me how many people not only want to help but genuinely want to see you succeed. My advice to anyone feeling daunted by the prospect of setting up a business is don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
What are some key lessons Inhalytic Ltd has learned along the way, especially in the dynamic landscape of the pharmaceutical industry?
“In my opinion, the landscape regarding what companies are undertaking ground-breaking research in the pharmaceutical industry has changed over the last 15 years or so. We see most of the innovative research being conducted in smaller tech companies and University spin-offs these days.
“During the same period, I have observed a contraction of the research activities being undertaken by large pharma companies in the small molecule space. They seem to be focusing their efforts on more complex biologics currently. This situation provides opportunities for companies like ours because quite a few small enterprises are looking for help and advice to develop and evaluate the viability of their ideas.”
You are based at Discovery Park. What makes this location a good fit for your company and how have the team there supported you on your entrepreneurial journey?
“Without Discovery Park, we would not have been able to start. They listened to our requirements and provided us with a suitable startup space at an affordable rate to help us deliver the needs of our clients. When we started, we were not even sure how long we would need the lab for (our initial lease was only for one year, for example).
“As the business has grown, they have helped us enhance our laboratory facility, and last year, we moved into a larger laboratory space. Discovery Park’s engineering team were particularly helpful in making changes to our new lab to ensure it was suitable for our needs.
“The business development team also arrange innovation symposia and events which aim to bring Discovery Park tenants together with local Universities to foster effective collaboration between commercial life science companies and academia.”
Looking ahead, what are the aspirations and goals for Inhalytic Ltd as it continues to grow? Are there particular areas of the pharmaceutical industry or new services you are excited to explore?
“Almost too many to mention! We particularly like to work with companies and innovators that have the courage to ‘challenge the norm’. In my opinion, most large innovator and generic pharmaceutical companies are quite conservative in their approach to inhaled product development. There are good reasons for this. The pressure to bring new products to market and fill regulatory and licencing requirements tends to dictate a conservative view in these companies.
“Inhalytic is currently set up like a small university research lab operating in the commercial business environment. The success of our laboratory service has surprised us. For 2024, we are growing the team from four to seven to serve new projects that we will be supporting.
“This expansion means we have to improve the quality of our service going forward. As a result, we aim to seek ISO17025 accreditation for our lab service. We are also expanding our collaborations with academia and industry to help cement our reputation.”
