Upperton Pharma Solutions has been honoured with the Pharma Project of the Year award at the Pharma Industry Awards UK 2024, which took place at Birmingham’s International Convention Centre (ICC) on Wednesday, 18th September. The prestigious ceremony celebrated outstanding achievements within the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, recognising excellence across a variety of categories.
Upperton secured the award in competition with notable contenders Sanofi and Bouygues Energies & Services for its Trent Gateway development—a 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility. The project stood out for its exemplary project management, collaborative efforts with UK supply chains, and the speed at which it was completed—an impressive 10 months from start to finish.
The Trent Gateway facility represents a significant milestone in Upperton’s growth, featuring 10 GMP manufacturing suites, quality control labs, and specialised analytical, formulation development, and pilot plant laboratories. This cutting-edge site enables Upperton to better serve its clients and expand its capabilities in pharmaceutical development.
Ian Lafferty, Chief Technical Officer and Project Lead for Trent Gateway, commended the team’s dedication: “This award is the culmination of 18 months of hard work by our team. To build a facility of this quality within 10 months is an outstanding achievement. To then validate, commission and receive MHRA Approval provided us with a platform to develop and manufacture on a new scale for our customers.”
Nikki Whitfield, Upperton’s Chief Executive Officer, also expressed her pride in the recognition: “To be recognised for our Trent Gateway facility is an outstanding achievement. The state-of-the-art facility satisfies our increasing customer demand and extends our service offering further along the drug development pathway. The facility meets our clients’ requirements from a complexity, scale, and potency perspective, whilst adhering to all the necessary regulatory requirements. The dedication and attention to detail by our team have allowed us to elevate our services while working with the best talent in the Midlands and the wider sector. This facility is a testament to our commitment to growth and innovation.”
This award acknowledges Upperton’s forward-thinking approach to engaging UK supply chains and its ability to deliver advanced solutions for pharmaceutical development and manufacturing.
The Trent Gateway facility is equipped to handle a broad spectrum of dosage forms, including oral solids, liquids, semi-solids, nasal, and inhaled products. It supports early-stage formulation development and offers clinical trial supplies from Phase 1 through to Phase 3. With its GMP design, equipment, and containment capabilities, the facility can support large-scale production, accommodating batch sizes of up to 250kg.
