Excellence in Business Awards 2011: Pharmaceutical team finds formula for taste of success

You’ve been told you’ve got a life-threatening condition. Your best hope of recovery is to take a course of prescription drugs, but you have problems swallowing.

Thankfully, Rosemont Pharmaceuticals is on hand to save your life.

The company, which has been in business for 40 years, develops, manufactures and supplies liquid medicines for patients who have difficulty swallowing tablets and capsules.

Without Rosemont, many patients wouldn’t be able to take medication to help them survive.

Rosemont triumphed in the £10m to £50m category at the Yorkshire Post Excellence in Business Awards, which was sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

John Blythe, the managing director of Rosemont Pharmaceuticals, said after accepting the award: “This is a testament to the hard work that 200 people in the Holbeck area of Leeds have put in to make this business a success.

“We believe we can emulate our UK success in Europe and further afield.

“We’re very proud of being a Yorkshire company.”

The judges said: “The winner has developed a product that tends to its customers needs and delivers consistently, with a track record of investment and innovation.”

The company’s confidence was reflected in a recent decision to invest £6m investment in its Leeds base.

The company’s mission is, essentially, a simple one: to improve the health, quality of life and well-being of people through the development, manufacture and supply of the highest quality liquid medicines.

Last year, Rosemont made four million bottles of liquid medicine.

Rosemont’s commitment to creating new products has helped to drive double-digit growth in sales and profits.

This strong, sustained growth has led to the creation of jobs at a time of great economic uncertainty.

The company employs 220 staff in disciplines such as manufacturing, quality assurance, quality control, engineering, warehouse, finance, IT and sales and marketing.

The company has invested heavily in its regulatory capabilities to support the licensing of products across Europe and the US.

Rosemont is receiving requests from larger, more prominent pharmaceutical companies to develop and manufacture medicines on their behalf.

Rosemont’s commitment to innovation is demonstrated by the increase in research and development headcount from five to 23 in recent years.

Over the same period, the company’s research and development output has risen from two product launches per year to more than 12.

Rosemont has a portfolio of more than 130 medicines, many of which are unique in liquid form.

Rosemont prides itself on its high levels of customer service. Every one of its products is available on the shelf when a customer submits an order.

A company spokesman said: “This is unique within the liquid pharmaceuticals industry, where it is more typical for the customer to wait for the product to be made to order.

“We also provide a certificate of analysis for all our products, which proves the high quality of the medicine.

“Again, this is unique. It is this commitment to the customer which set Rosemont apart from its peers.”

Rosemont has always prided itself on having a family-orientated culture.

The spokesman added: “It is this close-knit culture which provides a sense of community for the employees and ensures a high level of ‘buy-in’.

“The business has undergone significant change in recent times and employees continue to collaborate exceptionally well to overcome any challenges the business faces.”

“Rosemont enjoys a very low turnover of staff, and an increasing number of individuals have worked in the business for over 30 years, which suggests we must be getting something right.”

The company is also involved with many local charities, including the Yorkshire Cancer Centre, St. Gemma’s Hospice and the Peter Congdon Neonatal Unit at Leeds General Infirmary.