A pioneering pharmaceutical producer from Bradford has begun a multi-million pound expansion drive.

Bradford Particle Design (bpd) is creating a new manufacturing plant which will increase its production capacity ten-fold.

The company, which opened its £1 million facility at Listerhills Science Park in 2000, says the move is necessary to allow it to begin a full-scale commercial operation.

The firm is still deciding on a location for the plant, but managing director Gwyn Humphreys was adamant the company's core business would remain in the city. He said: "This is a several million pound investment to continue growth in the company, which will be funded partly from our resources and partly from our parent company.

"We are only six years old and have experienced strong growth since day one. We need this extra capacity as we get closer to getting products through the clinical trials phase and ready for full-scale manufacturing. That will involve us working closely with other companies, something we are in discussions about at the moment.

"We've grown to this size through our key resource, which is our people here in Bradford, and we have no intention of moving to another vicinity."

Dr Humphreys was one of three scientists from the University of Bradford who patented a technique which produces tiny, near-identical, higher-quality particles for use in medicines.

The system allows drugs to be produced more quickly and efficiently, thereby offering massive savings for big pharmaceutical firms.

After founding the company with the University in 1994, the scientists attracted interest from several large businesses and finally sold the firm to American pharmaceutical giant Inhale for $200m (£136m) last year.

Dr Humphreys says further expansion in the city is on the cards in 2002, wherever the new manufacturing base is built.