The Newhouse Research Site is a

drug research Drug development is the process of bringing a new pharmaceutical drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified through the process of drug discovery. It includes preclinical research on microorganisms and animals, filing for regu ...

facility situated east of

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

in central Scotland. It is located beside the M8 motorway in Newhouse,

North Lanarkshire North Lanarkshire ( sco, North Lanrikshire; gd, Siorrachd Lannraig a Tuath) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the northeast of the City of Glasgow and contains many of Glasgow's suburbs and commuter towns and villages. It also ...

. The site is an early

drug discovery In the fields of medicine, biotechnology and pharmacology, drug discovery is the process by which new candidate medications are discovered. Historically, drugs were discovered by identifying the active ingredient from traditional remedies or by ...

research centre with a track record of generating a succession of products in the areas of

anaesthesia Anesthesia is a state of controlled, temporary loss of sensation or awareness that is induced for medical or veterinary purposes. It may include some or all of analgesia (relief from or prevention of pain), paralysis (muscle relaxation), am ...

and

psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psych ...

. In 2007, the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

Malcolm Campbell Memorial Prize was awarded to researchers for its work on a new anaesthesia drug,

sugammadex Sugammadex, sold under the brand name Bridion, is a medication for the reversal of neuromuscular blockade induced by rocuronium and vecuronium in general anaesthesia. It is the first selective relaxant binding agent (SRBA). It is marketed by Merc ...

. It currently employs 250 scientists across a range of disciplines including

medicinal chemistry Medicinal or pharmaceutical chemistry is a scientific discipline at the intersection of chemistry and pharmacy involved with designing and developing pharmaceutical drugs. Medicinal chemistry involves the identification, synthesis and developm ...

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

and

drug metabolism Drug metabolism is the metabolic breakdown of drugs by living organisms, usually through specialized enzymatic systems. More generally, xenobiotic metabolism (from the Greek xenos "stranger" and biotic "related to living beings") is the set of ...

. The site is currently the largest private drug discovery centre in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, and one of the biggest in the UK.

History

The campus was acquired by

Organon The ''Organon'' ( grc, Ὄργανον, meaning "instrument, tool, organ") is the standard collection of Aristotle's six works on logical analysis and dialectic. The name ''Organon'' was given by Aristotle's followers, the Peripatetics. The si ...

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 Corporation was an American pharmaceutical company. It was originally the U.S. subsidiary of the German company Schering AG, which was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering. As a result of nationalization, it becam ...

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 refers primarily to the German Merck family and three companies founded by the family, including: * the Merck Group, a German chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences company founded in 1668 ** Merck Serono (known as EMD Serono in the Unite ...

(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 blocker Neuromuscular-blocking drugs block neuromuscular transmission at the neuromuscular junction, causing paralysis of the affected skeletal muscles. This is accomplished via their action on the post-synaptic acetylcholine (Nm) receptors. In clin ...

s, which are commonly used during surgery, and was responsible for the identification of

rocuronium Rocuronium bromide (brand names Zemuron, Esmeron) is an aminosteroid non-depolarizing neuromuscular blocker or muscle relaxant used in modern anaesthesia to facilitate tracheal intubation by providing skeletal muscle relaxation, most commonly ...

as well as a number of other drugs. In another major advance the reversal agent

was the first

selective relaxant binding agent Selective relaxant binding agents (SRBAs) are a new class of drugs that selectively encapsulates and binds neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBAs). The first drug introduction of an SRBA is sugammadex. Sugammadex is a modified gamma cyclodextrin th ...

(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 Mirtazapine, sold under the brand name Remeron amongst others, is an Atypical antidepressant, atypical antidepressant, and as such is used primarily to treat Depression (mood), depression. Its effects may take up to four weeks, but can also man ...

, a novel

tetracyclic Tetracyclics are cyclic chemical compounds that contain four interconnected rings of atoms, e.g. Tröger's base. They have various pharmaceutical A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or s ...

anti-depressant Antidepressants are a class of medication used to treat major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, chronic pain conditions, and to help manage addictions. Common side-effects of antidepressants include dry mouth, weight gain, dizziness, heada ...

which has become widely prescribed throughout the world. More recently the site was closely involved in supporting the introduction of the

anti-psychotic Antipsychotics, also known as neuroleptics, are a class of psychotropic medication primarily used to manage psychosis (including delusions, hallucinations, paranoia or disordered thought), principally in schizophrenia but also in a range of oth ...

asenapine Asenapine, sold under the brand name Saphris among others, is an atypical antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia and acute mania associated with bipolar disorder. It was chemically derived via altering the chemical structure of the ...

which has just been launched for the treatment of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

and

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

.{{cite web, url=http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160755.php , title=Schering-Plough Announces FDA Approval Of Saphris (asenapine) For Acute Treatment Of Schizophrenia In Adults And Manic Or Mixed Episodes Of Bipolar, publisher=Medicalnewstoday.com , date= , accessdate=2010-11-05

Gallery

Image:Newhouse_Research_Site_Aerial.jpg, Aerial view from the north Image:Boundary_of_the_Newhouse_research_site.jpg, Site boundary Image:Newhouse_Research_Site_1949.jpg, Site in 1949 Image:Newhouse_Research_Site_1960s.jpg, Site in the 1960s Image:Newhouse_Research_Site_Chemistry_Building.jpg, View from across the pond Image:Newhouse_Research_Site_from_the_South.jpg, South facing building in the Sun Image:Pharm_south.jpg, South facing building in the evening Image:Newhouse,_Lanarkshire_within_the_United_Kingdom.jpg, Location of the Newhouse research site, within the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

References

Pharmaceutical industry Buildings and structures in North Lanarkshire Science and technology in Scotland