Athlone based Dunbar Pharma has been named Emerging Company of the Year at the BioPharmaChem Impact Awards 2026, hosted by BioPharmaChem Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland as part of the annual Impact Conference.
Athlone based Dunbar Pharma has been named Emerging Company of the Year at the BioPharmaChem Impact Awards 2026, hosted by BioPharmaChem Ireland, Enterprise Ireland and IDA Ireland as part of the annual Impact Conference.
The award recognises Dunbar Pharma’s rapid emergence as an Irish pharmaceutical manufacturer focused on GMP-certified, plant-based cannabinoid active pharmaceutical ingredients, including dronabinol, and its role in building a new indigenous capability within Ireland’s life sciences sector.
The BioPharmaChem Impact Awards celebrate excellence across Ireland’s biopharma, pharmaceutical and chemical sectors, recognising companies that are contributing to innovation, competitiveness, sustainability, talent development and the continued strength of Ireland’s global life sciences reputation.
Leah Fletcher, Founder and CEO of Dunbar Pharma, said:
“We are absolutely honoured to be named Emerging BioPharmaChem Company of the Year. For Dunbar Pharma, this award is a recognition of the hard work, resilience and ambition of our entire team. We are building a highly specialised pharmaceutical manufacturing company from Ireland, with a focus on quality, compliance and innovation in cannabinoid-based medicines.
Ireland has a world-class reputation in pharma manufacturing, and we are proud to be contributing to the next chapter of that story as an indigenous company. This award gives our team huge encouragement as we continue to scale, serve international markets and develop a trusted Irish platform for pharmaceutical cannabinoid APIs.”
Dunbar Pharma is based in Athlone, Co. Roscommon, and has developed a specialist manufacturing and commercial platform for pharmaceutical cannabinoid ingredients used in regulated medicines markets. The company has been advancing its international strategy, including market development across Europe and the UK, while maintaining a strong focus on research, GMP standards, supply chain integrity and product quality.
The recognition comes at a time when Ireland’s BioPharmaChem sector continues to demonstrate significant global impact, with the sector surpassing €139 billion in annual exports. The awards highlighted both multinational and indigenous companies contributing to Ireland’s reputation as a trusted global centre for life sciences.
Other 2026 winners included APC & VLE – The Medicine Accelerator, Sanofi, Pfizer Ireland, Brightbeam, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine Ireland and Paul Duffy, who received the Outstanding Contribution to BioPharmaChem Award.
Ms Fletcher added:
“This recognition matters because it places Dunbar Pharma among the companies shaping the future of Ireland’s pharma sector. We are still an emerging company, but our ambition is significant. We want to build something of lasting value — for patients, for our partners, for our team and for Ireland.”
Media Contact
For further information, please contact:
Nicole Farah
Americana Communications Ltd.
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About Dunbar Pharma
Dunbar Pharmaceuticals (Mercury Rising Ltd.) is a privately owned Irish pharmaceutical manufacturer and Ireland’s first EU GMP manufacturer of plant-derived cannabinoid active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Based in Athlone, Ireland, the company manufactures difficult-to-make, pharmaceutical-grade APIs, including plant-derived dronabinol, to recognised pharmacopoeia standards for regulated pharmaceutical markets, including Germany and the UK.
Built from the ground up as a pharmaceutical manufacturer on Ireland’s world-class pharma platform, Dunbar Pharma operates under the oversight of the Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), with validated processes and full batch traceability supporting dependable supply to licensed partners across Europe.
Dunbar Pharma was founded on a simple observation: medical use of cannabinoids was growing worldwide, but the pharmaceutical infrastructure behind it had not kept pace. The company is closing that gap, building Europe’s pharmaceutical infrastructure for plant-derived cannabinoid medicines by combining EU GMP manufacturing, pharmaceutical quality standards and reliable supply for healthcare partners and patients. The company has been recognised for its growth and innovation, including Emerging Company of the Year at the BioPharmaChem Impact Awards 2026, Product & Manufacturing Start-Up of the Year at the National Start-Up Awards 2025, and the Ambition & Growth Award at the Local Enterprise Office Awards 2026. Keep up to date on activity from Dunbar Pharma on LinkedIn.
Notes to Editor
Dunbar Pharmaceuticals (Mercury Rising Ltd.) is an Irish GMP manufacturer based in Athlone, Ireland. GMP Certificate: 35486/ASR13213/000001; ASR Certificate: ASR13213/000001 — verifiable on the EudraGMDP public register.
Dronabinol is the INN (international non-proprietary name) for delta-9-THC in purified pharmaceutical form, prescribed internationally for decades in regulated prescription medicines for specific indications.
Dunbar’s dronabinol is manufactured exclusively for pharmaceutical use, not consumer or wellness products.