Riom, France, June 19, 2012 – Roowin SA, a French CRO (contract research organisation) that provides high-value-added fine chemistry services, announces today that it has moved into new premises in Riom, near Clermont-Ferrand, in the Auvergne region. The move will strengthen Roowin’s position as one of the few companies in France that offers a comprehensive range of services, from early-stage research to the production of GMP batches for phase I and II clinical trials. This relocation also represents a new milestone in the company’s development.
The company is moving into 1,500 square metres of premises at Riom-La Varenne that are currently owned by Schering-Plough. They include laboratories complying with regulatory GLP (good laboratory practice) and GMP (good manufacturing practice) standards, as well as offices and warehousing. These facilities have 50 per cent more space than Roowin’s old premises and incorporate cutting-edge equipment that will enable the company to increase the quantities that can be produced and offer an even higher quality of the services it provides to its clients.
The new equipment from which its clients will benefit includes an LC/NMR 500 MHz machine combining liquid chromatography with nuclear magnetic resonance for more rapid and accurate screening. Only a few laboratories in France have access to this technology. In addition, Roowin is now equipped with ultra-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UPLC/MS) instruments, infrared equipment, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) technology. In the area of synthesis, Roowin can now undertake low-temperature work as the result of acquiring a liquid nitrogen unit operating at minus 80C.
The move is being welcomed by local authorities. “Keeping industrial activities going at the Schering-Plough site in La Varenne is a priority for Riom town council, the regional development office of the department of Puy de Dome, the Clermont-Ferrand Community, and the Community of District Councils of Limagne-D’Ennezat, one of the founder members of the future joint Biopole Clermont Limagne association,” explained Herve Prevoteau, director of the Clermont Limagne biocluster. “Roowin is a large independent firm in the fine chemistry sector, and we are going to help it grow still further to our mutual benefit in terms of job and wealth creation. It will find its full place in the pharmaceutical industry of the Auvergne region.”
“It was hard to find a place that corresponded to all our technical needs,” said Patrice Rool, the chairman of Roowin. “That is why we are delighted to be moving to Riom, which offers all the advantages we were looking for. We are planning to develop our activities further and in particular to invest in additional clean rooms.”
Roowin began the move into its new premises on May 1. The operation is being spread over two months to ensure continuity of service to the company’s clientele. To secure a smooth transfer of its operations, ongoing projects will continue to be run from the old site until June 30, while new projects are being handled by the staff installed at Riom since the beginning of May. The company is to maintain its sales office in Paris.
About Roowin
Roowin SA is a CRO providing high-value-added fine chemistry services. It has a custom synthesis and manufacturing activity that enables it to supply quantities ranging from a microgram to more than 100 kilos. Roowin is one of the few firms in France that provides a full range of services to pharmaceutical companies, from upstream research to the production of GMP batches for phase I and II clinical trials. It occupies 1,500 square metres of office and laboratory space where all its development and production facilities are located, housing state-of-the-art equipment that is constantly renewed. The company’s clients include leading names in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemicals and biotechnology industries in Europe and North America.
The company possesses several patents covering the development of new innovative synthesis processes and has obtained ISO 9001:2008 and GMP (good manufacturing practice) certification.
Roowin was founded in 1998 and has been based in Riom, in the Auvergne region in central France, since May 2012. The management team is composed of PhDs, executives and engineers with a chemistry background. Around 60 per cent of the company’s revenues come from its international activities.
For more information, go to: http://www.roowin.com
Mark Tidmarsh
ANDREW LLOYD & ASSOCIATES
http://www.ala.com
mark@ala.com
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