Ocular products firm eyes expansion with move to Keele

INTERNATIONAL eye care company Spectrum Thea has chosen Keele University Science and Business Park as its UK base.

The move marks something of a home coming for the firm’s founder, Philip Lewis-Williams, who is a former Keele graduate.

Spectrum Thea was set up by Lewis-Williams in 2008 and has developed well-established links across Europe with its headquarters in France. The pharmaceutical specialist develops a range of products aimed at improving eye health.

Its products are prescribed by ophthalmologists, nursing staff, pharmacists and optometrists across UK and Ireland.
 
In the last four years the company has become one the leaders in pharmaceutical research and development and continues to support ophthalmological research in France as well as the UK. It is a leader in developing preservative free and phosphate-free eye products for patients, thus avoiding the need for damaging preservatives in the eye.
 
Lewis-Williams said: “I was most impressed with the science and business park when I visited. Our company ethos is that we improve eye health through innovation, education and professionalism, so we hope to develop strong links with the medical school, pharmacy department and business school over the next few years which will help us achieve this goal.
 
“Keele was influential on me personally, particularly the foundation year, as it gave me new educational options as I studied a range of subjects alongside my chosen specialism. I am looking forward to returning to the place that helped me to develop strong commercial and networking skills before I graduated in 1979.”
 
Keele University Business and Science Park is currently home to more than 45 companies, each sharing a research culture boosted by the university’s academic expertise and specialist resources. The university site also provides opportunities for collaboration with the Keele University Medical and Business schools, which appealed to the business as it looks to continue its expansion.

“Thea is looking to develop strong links with Keele and the surrounding area. We see this as key to building the company’s international links across Europe. In Clermont-Ferrand, central France, our offices and laboratories are adjacent to Michelin, as they will be here, so we already feel at home,” added Lewis-Williams.
 
Caroline Mairs, head of Keele University Science and Business Park, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming another internationally established business. With Spectrum Thea joining the science park we are continuing to make KUSBP a hub where research and development businesses can flourish.”