De Montfort University's (DMU) unique Quality by Design (QbD) course received major endorsement by senior industry leaders when it was launched last week.

Mike Hannay, vice-president medicines development for AstraZeneca, Martin Owen, API quality by design leader at GlaxoSmithKline, and Roger Weaver, research fellow with Pfizer, all stressed the importance of QbD training through this unique industry and university collaboration.

At the launch event, held at DMU on 15 March, Mike Hannay and Martin Owen referred to the programme as "a high quality course, delivered through an innovative medium" and "a bold vision of collaborative creativity".

The course is distance-learning based with more than 40 webinars delivered by 27 industry experts from 14 companies, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol-Myers Squibb. It is aimed at professionals working in the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors.

It is internationally accessible via a web-based platform and is designed to be flexible so that it can be studied in part or in its entirety, which will lead to a postgraduate certificate.

DMU business development manager Gary Trappitt, said: "I am delighted that these senior professionals have demonstrated their wholehearted support for our innovative course.  We look forward to working with the pharmaceutical industry to build expertise in quality by design amongst their staff."

Professor Bill Dawson, chair of governors at DMU, himself previously a senior executive in the industry, reflected on the changing operation of pharmaceutical companies and the key requirement for staff trained in quality procedures.

He said: "DMU has the expertise and motivation to support this process and should look forward to an ongoing relationship with the industry."

Professor Dawson will complete his three years as chair of DMU's governors in July but will retain his links with the university as he has been appointed as a senior policy adviser to the vice-chancellor from August 2011.