What Agility Life Sciences does

Agility Life Sciences is a privately held, founder-led formulation development CDMO founded in 2012 and headquartered in Stapleford, Nottingham, United Kingdom. The company develops drug formulations for small molecules and peptides, addressing bioavailability, solubility, permeability, stability, and targeted delivery challenges (including blood-brain barrier crossing) for pharmaceutical and biotech innovators across routes of administration spanning oral, ocular, intranasal, topical, subcutaneous, and transdermal. Its core technology portfolio covers spray drying, amorphous solid dispersions, lipid nanoparticles, liposomes, and a range of release-profile modification techniques, delivered through a proprietary methodology branded as "Futureproof Formulations Fast™." The firm also provides analytical method development and validation (HPLC and related techniques) and CMC/regulatory consulting, including authoring CMC sections for regulatory documents.

Agility operates a pure fee-for-service, project-based revenue model: all services are billed on a per-project basis, and all intellectual property generated during an engagement is retained by the client. The company goes to market through direct enterprise sales led by its CEO, CSO, and a dedicated business development executive, supported by a heavy conference presence (BOS Basel, ON Helix, ELRIG, NLS, CPHI Milan), thought-leadership content on LinkedIn, and podcast appearances by the CEO. In October 2025, Agility entered an Integrated CMC Partnership with Sai Life Sciences (a large Indian-listed CRDMO) and Centrix Pharma Solutions to offer end-to-end drug substance, formulation, and clinical manufacturing services to innovator biopharma, materially extending its distribution and service scope without organic capex. The firm's customer base spans pharma/biotech innovators as the primary segment and nutraceutical/food supplement companies as a secondary segment. With 11-50 employees and no external funding rounds disclosed, Agility is positioned as a boutique, science-led CDMO.

Name

Agility Life Sciences

Legal name

Agility Life Sciences

Website

https://agilitylifesciences.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Agility Life Sciences is a UK-based, founder-led formulation development CDMO that helps pharmaceutical and biotech innovators solve bioavailability, solubility, and delivery challenges for small molecules and peptides across oral, ocular, intranasal, and topical routes via fee-for-service projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) (541715)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Small-Molecule Drug Product (Solid/Oral/Parenteral) CDMO (HLAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Formulation & Preclinical CMC Support (Nonclinical) (HLAGAFAL), Drug Substance–Drug Product Integrated CDMO (HLAGABAG)

Keywords

• Formulation development services
• Contract development CDMO
• CMC consulting services
• Analytical method development
• Pharmaceutical formulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Stapleford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fee-for-service formulation development: All formulation development services are conducted on a fee-for-service basis. All IP generated during the engagement belongs to the client. This is a project-based, service revenue model targeting preclinical through commercial development stages.
2. Fee-for-service analytical development: Analytical method development and validation services provided as standalone projects or alongside formulation projects. Project-based pricing.
3. CMC consulting: CMC, analytical and formulation development consulting services, including writing CMC sections for regulatory documents.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Agility Life Sciences is a CDMO that turns poorly behaved small molecules and peptides into optimized pharmaceutical formulations for preclinical, clinical, and commercial stages. Services include formulation development across oral, ocular, intranasal, and topical routes; solubility and permeability enhancement; lipid nanoparticle and liposomal formulations; release profile modification; analytical method development; and CMC, analytical, and regulatory consulting.

Product overview

Agility Life Sciences is an award-winning formulation development CDMO operating as a single unified service offering called 'Futureproof Formulations Fast™'. The company transforms 'badly behaved molecules' into smart formulations for small molecules and peptides. The core service portfolio includes solubility enhancement solutions (spray drying, amorphous solid dispersions, lipid nanoparticles, liposomes), permeability enhancement (particularly for CNS/blood-brain barrier delivery), and release profile modification. Formulation types span tablets, capsules, liquids, suspensions, creams, and gels for routes including oral, ocular, intranasal, subcutaneous, and transdermal. Analytical method development and CMC/regulatory consulting are integrated as complementary services. All services are fee-for-service, with all IP generated belonging to the client.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Formulation Development Services Formulation development services for small molecules and peptides that turn 'badly behaved molecules' into optimized formulations for preclinical, clinical, and commercial stages, addressing solubility, permeability, stability, and release profile challenges.
• Futureproof Formulations Fast™ Award-winning proprietary formulation development approach that systematically considers the molecule's characteristics, end goal, study requirements, and species to create formulations optimized for imminent studies while enabling acceleration to clinic and commercial.
• Solubility Enhancement Solutions Techniques to increase molecule solubility including solubility-enhancing excipients, spray drying, amorphous solid dispersions, milling, nanomilling, lipid nanoparticles, and liposomes.
• Permeability Enhancement Solutions Approaches to overcome permeability issues using permeability-enhancing excipients and cell-penetrating peptides, including intranasal gels and solutions formulated for crossing the blood-brain barrier for CNS indications such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
• Release Profile Modification Methods to extend, sustain, or modify drug release profiles using size reduction, matrix formation with polymers, particle/granule coating, and component layering.
• Analytical Method Development Development and validation of analytical methods specific to client molecules, including HPLC methods for formulation projects or as standalone analytical projects.
• CMC, Analytical and Formulation Consulting CMC, analytical, and formulation development consulting services, including writing CMC sections for regulatory documents such as IMPD/IND.

Quantifiable outcome

• Accelerated molecule progression from preclinical to clinic and commercial

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sai Life SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Sai Life Sciences, Agility Life Sciences, and Centrix Pharma Solutions announced an Integrated CMC Partnership in October 2025 to provide end-to-end Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) services to innovator biopharma companies. The partnership combines Sai's API development expertise, Agility's formulation development, and Centrix's drug product development and clinical manufacturing. The result is a faster, more efficient pathway from preclinical to FIH clinical trials. Agility's CEO Dr Claire Thompson described the partnership as combining complementary strengths to accelerate clients' molecules through key milestones.
• Centrix Pharma SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 October 2025Centrix Pharma Solutions, a specialist CDMO focused on drug product development and clinical trial manufacturing, partnered with Agility Life Sciences and Sai Life Sciences in an Integrated CMC Partnership announced October 2025. Centrix provides drug product development and clinical manufacturing capabilities that complement Agility's formulation development expertise. The partnership aims to provide end-to-end CMC services from pre-formulation through clinical trial material manufacturing.
• SolitekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSolitek brings a new concept in solid state development services for the pharmaceutical, agrochemical, and fine chemical industries. Listed as a strategic partnership on Agility's 'Our Tribe' page to help clients get their molecules to clinic and patients as quickly as possible.
• Inaphaea BioLabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInaphaea BioLabs is a Nottingham-based pharmaceutical services company offering cell-based assays specializing in oncology and women's health. Their aim is to improve translation of early drug discovery projects toward the clinic. Listed as a strategic partnership on Agility's 'Our Tribe' page with synergistic services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hovione: Portugal-headquartered CDMO with deep formulation, spray drying, and particle engineering capabilities for small molecules. Comparable in the spray drying / amorphous solid dispersion / lipid nanoparticle technical domains where Agility competes.
• Upperton Pharma Solutions: UK-based, formulation development-focused CDMO offering pre-formulation, spray drying, and GMP manufacturing for small molecules and biologics. Closest headcount and capability analogue to Agility in the UK market.
• Sai Life Sciences: India-headquartered CRDMO with API development, formulation, and biologics capabilities serving 300+ innovator pharma and biotech clients globally. Direct peer in the integrated CMC space and Agility's strategic partner in the October 2025 alliance.
• Quotient Sciences: UK-headquartered CDMO providing formulation development, clinical trial manufacturing, and integrated drug substance-to-patient services. Operates in the same formulation/CMC niche and competes for similar UK/EU biotech clients.
• Centrix Pharma Solutions: UK-based specialist CDMO focused on drug product development and clinical trial manufacturing. Directly comparable in scale and service scope, and Agility's partner in the Integrated CMC Partnership.
• Ardena: Belgium-headquartered CDMO focused on formulation development, analytical services, and drug product manufacturing for small molecules and nanomedicines. Directly comparable in scope of formulation and CMC services.

Emerging players

• BioDuro: Contract development organization offering pre-formulation, formulation, and analytical services with strong presence in China and the US. Comparable in scope of formulation services but a larger and faster-scaling emerging player.

Broad incumbents

• Catalent: Global, large-scale CDMO offering formulation development, softgel, oral and injectable manufacturing, and clinical supply services. Operates broadly across many of the same customer use cases as Agility but at much greater scale and as part of a wide portfolio.
• Aenova Group: European CDMO with broad solid oral, sterile, and semi-solid dosage form capabilities. Competes with Agility in formulation development and GMP manufacturing but as a much larger, full-service incumbent.
• Lonza: Global CDMO spanning small molecules, biologics, and cell/gene therapies with extensive formulation and drug product services. Competes with Agility at the high end of the formulation market and absorbs many of the same innovator clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8t8KgSGcPJuLMJXJOxRsPGN164KOV5Ml
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agility-life-sciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agility Life Sciences