Napp Pharmaceuticals Limited is a private pharmaceutical company in

Cambridge, United Kingdom Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge became ...

that was founded in 1923 and bought by the

Sackler family The Sackler family is an American family who founded and owned the pharmaceutical companies Purdue Pharma and Mundipharma. Purdue Pharma, and some members of the family, have faced lawsuits regarding overprescription of addictive pharmaceutical d ...

in 1966. Headquartered together with the related

Napp Research Centre The Napp Research Centre is a large medical research institute in the north of Cambridge, and innovative-looking and award-winning architecture; it is a Cambridge landmark. History Cambridge Science Park was established in the early 1970s. The N ...

in the

Cambridge Science Park The Cambridge Science Park, founded by Trinity College in 1970, is the oldest science park in the United Kingdom. It is a concentration of science and technology related businesses, and has strong links with the nearby University of Cambridge. ...

since the 1980's, it is a sister company of

Purdue Pharma Purdue Pharma L.P., formerly the Purdue Frederick Company, is an American privately held pharmaceutical company founded by John Purdue Gray. It was owned principally by members of the Sackler family as descendants of Mortimer and Raymond Sackler ...

and Mundipharma, all of which are owned by the descendants of

Mortimer Mortimer () is an English surname, and occasionally a given name. Norman origins The surname Mortimer has a Norman origin, deriving from the village of Mortemer, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. A Norman castle existed at Mortemer from an early point; ...

and

Raymond Sackler Raymond Sackler (February 16, 1920 – July 17, 2017) was an American physician and businessman. He acquired Purdue Pharma together with his brothers Arthur M. Sackler and Mortimer Sackler. Purdue Pharma is the developer of OxyContin, the dr ...

Products

The company produces an array of pharmaceutical products, many for pain management, among them branded forms of

oxycodone Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...

that have been identified as key drugs in the

opioid epidemic The opioid epidemic, also referred to as the opioid crisis, is the rapid increase in the overuse, misuse/abuse, and overdose deaths attributed either in part or in whole to the class of drugs opiates/opioids since the 1990s. It includes the sign ...

. In the early 1970s, scientists at Napp developed a delivery system whereby a pill would slowly absorbed by the body, thereby continuously delivering a drug over a 12 hour period. This Continus® delivery system was used by Purdue first to introduce MS Continus in 1987 and

Oxycontin Oxycodone, sold under various brand names such as Roxicodone and OxyContin (which is the extended release form), is a strong, semi-synthetic opioid used medically for treatment of moderate to severe pain. It is highly addictive and a commonly ...

eight years later.

1995 chemical plant explosion

At 7:50 AM on April 22, 1995, the chemical plant run by Napp Pharmaceuticals in the New Jersey town of Lodi exploded, causing four fatalities and a serious fire that injured over 40 others. The incident caused the evacuation of over 400 residents. The cause of the explosion was found to be incorrectly mixed chemicals used for gold plating consumer electronics.

Sodium hydrosulfite Sodium dithionite (also known as sodium hydrosulfite) is a white crystalline powder with a sulfurous odor. Although it is stable in dry air, it Chemical decomposition, decomposes in hot water and in acid Solution (chemistry), solutions. Structu ...

and

aluminum powder Aluminium powder is powdered aluminium. This was originally produced by mechanical means using a stamp mill to create flakes. Subsequently, a process of spraying molten aluminium to create a powder of droplets was developed by E. J. Hall in the ...

were added to a large vat, but a pipe blockage prevented the next step. While clearing the blockage, water was somehow introduced to the vat, reacting with the chemicals within. A reaction began, increasing the temperature and pressure inside the vat as a noxious odour was noticed by employees, prompting the evacuation 24 hours later. Aware of the danger posed after consulting a company chemist, managers at the plant ordered seven workers to re-enter the plant and attempt to empty the vat of some of the chemicals. This intervention came too late however as the vat exploded, instantly killing three of the seven workers, with the other three seriously injured and one dying in the hospital a week later. The blast and fire caused injuries to 40 people. A federal investigation eventually fined Napp $127,000 for numerous safety violations. Manslaughter charges were considered, but ultimately state prosecutors declined to press criminal charges.

References

External links

Official WebsiteNova Pharmacy
{{Authority control Pharmaceutical companies of England 1923 establishments in England Companies based in Cambridge Sackler family