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A high-flying sales executive has joined the business development team at The Specials Laboratory, one of the UK's fastest growing companies and a market leader in the manufacture of unlicensed medicines for the retail pharmaceutical and hospital sectors.
Gina Watson, 30, has been recruited to spearhead a new focus on the hospital pharmacy market for the Prudhoe-based company, which has grown rapidly to become one of the leading companies in the North East's hugely successful pharmaceutical cluster.
She will promote the full range of outsourced services for the hospital sector provided by The Specials Laboratory and its sister company, Specials Clinical Manufacturing. These include the manufacturing, labelling and packing of a wide range of medicinal products, including "one-off" bespoke preparations (specials), bulk manufacture of unlicensed medicines and products for use in clinical trials.
The company is already recognised for its ability to deliver a first class service to its customers in the specials market, with more than 80 percent of products being delivered within 24 hours of an order being placed.
"Since completing a Masters Degree in Business Management I have spent four years in pharmaceutical sales, including the last three years with a large dermatological manufacturer," says Gina, who lives near Durham. "I was aware of Specials and its rapid growth, as well as its strong reputation within the industry, so when this opportunity came along I jumped at the chance."
Gina will be working with hospitals to further develop the supply of pre-pack products and other over-labelling services.
"The market for specials in hospitals is already an important part of our business, but there is significant growth potential resulting from the continual evolution of working practices within hospital pharmacies," says Kevin Patterson, National Sales Manager for The Specials Laboratory. "Gina's experience and enthusiasm made her the perfect candidate to take on this new role, which is a key part of our business development strategy."
In addition to a degree in science, Gina has also passed the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Medical Representatives Exam. While a student, she received a special prize presented by the Head of the Royal Society of Chemistry and made a presentation to Sir Richard Sykes, then Chairman of Glaxo Wellcome. Her proudest achievement, however, was interviewing Lord Winston and Lord Sainsbury at the launch of Science Week 2000.
