Indivior Opens $30 Million Research and Development Center to Advance Treatment Innovation
Indivior Opens $30 Million Research and Development Center to Advance Treatment Innovation in the Face of Growing Global Addiction Crisis
New 54,000 sq ft State-of-the-art Research and Development Center located in Hull, UK
Slough, UK and Richmond, VA, 22 August, 2017 – Indivior, a global leader in addiction treatment, today announces the opening of a new state-of-the-art research and development center in Hull following a $30 million investment.
The center represents Indivior’s largest capital investment in R&D and further advances the company’s 20-year mission to transform addiction from a human crisis to a recognised and treated chronic disease.
Indivior’s vision is that all patients around the world will have access to quality treatment for the chronic relapsing conditions and co-occurring disorders of addiction, including alcohol use disorder and schizophrenia.
Addiction is a growing global crisis with 29 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 thought to have been suffering from drug use disorders or drug dependence in 20161. In the UK alone, the number of people dependent on opioid painkillers is estimated to be as high as 1 million2.
Acknowledging the leadership potential of the R&D center in advancing addiction treatment best practices globally, Shaun Thaxter, Chief Executive Officer of Indivior, said, “This new state-of-the-art center is an investment in our mission to pioneer life-transforming treatments for patients struggling with addiction. Indivior’s focus on the needs of patients can be traced back decades, to the days before buprenorphine was discovered – right here in Hull – and developed as a treatment for opioid addiction. Our hope is this center will help us further our leadership in the development of novel treatment approaches that deliver on the unmet needs of patients suffering from addiction.”
The new center, which will house over 50 employees, is equipped with cutting-edge scientific technologies including a 400MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer, and is constructed to environmental and energy-saving standards, including the installation of a 25KW solar panel farm to increase use of renewable energy.
Christian Heidbreder, Chief Scientific Officer of Indivior, commented, “Our Hull center will enable Indivior to deliver on the promise of science and research as critical factors in the understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of addiction and the discovery and development of treatment options to help transform the lives of patients suffering from addiction and to advance the addiction treatment paradigm.”
Attending the opening ceremony in Hull, Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry said, “The Northern Powerhouse is about economic growth and creating jobs. It’s great that this pioneering work is taking place in Hull and has the potential to deliver life-changing treatments. This £23million investment in a state-of-the-art facility reaffirms the North East as a hub for innovation at the heart of the Northern Powerhouse.”
Emma Hardy, MP for Hull West & Hessle, said, “I’m delighted that Indivior has chosen to locate its world-class R&D facility in Hull. This will serve as a real boost for our community and affirms the city of Hull as a great place to do business.”
The new R&D building will be named the Chapleo Building after Dr. Chris Chapleo. Dr. Chapleo was one of the founding fathers of Indivior and spearheaded the scientific quest to develop buprenorphine-based treatment. Dr. Chapleo is currently a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and former Chairman of the Society for Drug Research.
About Opioid Use Disorder
According to the DSM–53, opioid use disorder is characterized by signs and symptoms that reflect compulsive, prolonged self-administration of opioid substances that are used for no legitimate medical purpose or, if another medical condition is present that requires opioid treatment, they are used in doses greatly in excess of the amount needed for that medical condition.
Based on 2015 data from the most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health report, 11.5 million American adults (age 18+ years old) engaged in misuse of prescription pain relievers, including opioids, in the last month. Approximately 1.9 million American adults met criteria for prescription pain reliever use disorder in the past year. The same report suggested that 5.1 million adults have used heroin at some point in their lives, with 807,000 using in the past year and 324,000 using in the past month. There were approximately 585,000 adults who had a heroin use disorder in the past year4.
About Indivior
Indivior is a global specialty pharmaceutical company with a 20-year legacy of leadership in patient advocacy and health policy while providing education on evidence-based treatment models that have revolutionized modern addiction treatment. The name is the fusion of the words individual and endeavour, and the tagline “Focus on you” makes the Company’s commitment clear. Indivior is dedicated to transforming addiction from a global human crisis to a recognized and treated chronic disease. Building on its global portfolio of opioid dependence treatments, Indivior has a strong pipeline of product candidates designed to both expand on its heritage in this category and address other chronic conditions and co-occurring disorders of addiction, including alcohol use disorder and schizophrenia. Headquartered in the United States in Richmond, VA, Indivior employs more than 900 individuals globally and its portfolio of products is available in over 40 countries worldwide. Visit www.indivior.com to learn more.
Media Contacts
US
IndiviorMediaContacts@indivior.com
+1 804-594-0836
UK
Tulchan Communications
+44 207 353 4200
Investor Contact
Jason Thompson, Indivior
Vice President, Investor Relations
+1 804-423-8916
Jason.thompson@indivior.com
REFERENCES
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2016
- Shapiro, H. 2015. Opioid painkiller dependency (OPD): an overview. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prescribed Medicine Dependency. http://www.drugwise.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/opioid_painkiller_dependency_final_report_sept_201.pdf. Accessed on 7 Aug. 2017.
- American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.
- “National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2015.” Substance Abuse and Mental Health Data Archive Public Surveys. https://pdas.samhsa.gov/#/?_k=o2r5ed. Accessed on 02 Mar. 2017.