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Snake bite sufferers in Europe and Africa will soon benefit from anti-venoms produced in rural west Wales.

MicroPharm develops immunotherapy products to target infectious diseases and acute toxic conditions.

It produces two anti-venoms for the treatment of snake bites from the European common adder and the carpet viper in West Africa.

Its planned £2m expansion, supported by £150,000 from the Welsh Government, will see it open new facilities at Cilgerran while retaining its base in Newcastle Emlyn.

The investment in new pharmaceutical manufacturing clean room facilities is expected to create 15 jobs and safeguard a further 14, bringing the total headcount to 51.

MicroPharm’s CEO Ian Cameron said: “We have outgrown our existing facilities in Newcastle Emlyn and the new manufacturing facility at Cilgerran will provide a platform for the long term growth of the company."

West Wales cluster

Following the expansion MicroPharm will become a major supplier of anti-venoms to Europe and Africa.

It joins Protherics UK, a BTG International group company based in Llandysul which provides antivenin for North American pit viper envenomation in the USA.

The west Wales cluster includes Ig-Innovations, also based near Llandysul, which produces antibodies for supply to the research, diagnostic, biotech and pharmaceutical sector including MicroPharm, as well as direct sales.

Economy Secretary Ken Skates said: “It is a considerable achievement that this small area of rural west Wales is a world leader in what is an extremely specialised, highly competitive and highly valued field. It once again illustrates the breadth of expertise we have in Wales within the life sciences sector.

“The investment will provide the additional facilities required to meet the growing global demand for its products. It will also enable the company to capitalise on opportunities to increase its product range and support its on-going research to provide treatments for devastating diseases like Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) and Ebola.

“This very important expansion project will further embed a specialist pharmaceutical R&D and manufacturing company in west Wales and provide opportunities for local people to access high quality jobs.”

Ricin antitoxin

MicroPharm’s expertise lies in producing a range of immunotherapeutic products for clinical use designed to treat acute, life threatening emergencies and required urgently either because no alternative exists or any alternatives are unsafe or ineffective.

In addition to anti-venoms, MicroPharm is also working on developing a ricin antitoxin having been awarded a contract, valued at up to £7m, last year by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

It involves the production of ovine antibodies to ricin and their further processing and manufacture into a product suitable for human use. Ricin is a deadly poison with no antidote currently available.

MicroPharm has a product pipeline of several new immunotherapeutic products for human and veterinary use ranging from early stage opportunities to clinical trials stage which are expected to come into the market from 2018-21.