125 stories for 125 years

Institute of Drug Technology

One of Nigel Manning’s achievements was the foundation of the Institute of Drug Technology Australia Ltd (IDT). This was a visionary concept and without precedent in Australia. As early as the 1960s, he had spoken of the benefits to be gained from a strong relationship with industry. The idea was to link pharmacy research and industry to develop new, improved and cheaper drugs.

Established in 1975, IDT was an incorporated company with a separate legal entity but was granted ready access to college equipment. Dr John Hersey was appointed the first director and chairman of the board of IDT. Barry Reed was the first associate director. Other members were Takeru Higuchi, Ian Pitman and Professor Arthur Birch, dean of the Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University. The idea was that IDT would sell technology but not pharmaceutical products. It would take out patents but would not distribute profits from them; rather, they would be used for further research and development. It would work in parallel with industry rather than in competition with it. The aim was to be financially independent within five years.

John died suddenly in 1982 at the age of 47. He was remembered as a ‘jovial and friendly character who was an outstanding scientist’. A scholarship was later founded in his honour. Barry, who was the M.A. Nicholas Industrial Professor, served as acting director before the appointment of Graeme Blackman. IDT became a privatised company, the Institute of Drug Technology Australia Ltd, a joint venture with Graeme. Eventually IDT moved to Boronia and it became a public company in 1988.

The college had nurtured the development of IDT, which became a highly successful independent company supplying products and providing research, development and other technical services to the pharmaceutical and allied industries. It posted a net profit of just under $4.5 million in the financial year 2004–2005.