Since 2016, Skyepharma has been transforming itself. « Our goal: to be a renowned Center of Excellence from formulation and pharmaceutical development, to full manufacturing and packaging of complex solid forms » says David Lescuyer, President of Skyepharma Production S.A.S.
An ambitious strategic plan has been implemented with different work leads
Firstly, developing the staff with experienced scientific people, including PhDs, whether in galenic or in analytical development and setting up long term career development plans to attract and retain talents.
R&D people now represents ¼ of the total staff of Skyepharma.
« We are proud of the career development plans we propose to our teams. Skyepharma is growing. It is a great source of opportunities for our employees. For this reason, we propose specific mid-to-long-term career programs with personalized coaching» says Isabelle Cachard, HSE & Human Ressources Director.
« To build a Centre of Excellence also requires the introduction of a very specific organizational culture, based on team spirit, collaboration, decisions taken, at workshop level, where the value is created, the empowerment of employees and a “start-up” mindset that allows everyone to be fully involved and express their creativity and motivation. »
Partnerships make us stronger
Léo Picart, PhD Student
Several academic collaborations have also been set up.
« It is essential to maintain our expertise at the highest scientific level. These collaborations allow us to stay one step ahead of the latest trends and research directions in galenic development, and to be able to offer our customers the widest possible range of high-level expertise, thus supporting them as efficiently as possible» says Aline Moulin, Pharmaceutical Development Director.
Examples of recent collaborations are the funding of a PhD thesis with Bordeaux University (laboratory led by Professor Pierre Tchoreloff) on compression of press coated tablets (tab in tab), or the start of a joint research project with the University of Lyon (laboratory led by Professor Stéphanie Briançon) on microfluidizer technology for nanoencapsulation.
Conclusion
All this going along with an ambitious investment plan in development and manufacturing state-of-the-art equipment.
“We clearly want to position ourselves as a key player in pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, and we are taking up this challenge. We have very positive customers feedback on our scientific excellence, agility and reduced time to market to support their development“, concludes David Lescuyer.