Brief

Funded by grants from the Acwaiian government, West Finch Laboratories was founded in 2618 by Emmanuel Finch and Abel Corin. Headquartered in the West Opera borough of Eventide, the company initially focused on synthesizing chemicals and producing generic drugs. The company became largely successful a few years later in 2625 with Atraxis (gen. clonazenil), a drug that softened the effects of implant-related psychosis/nervous instability.

The company would also be one of the major vaccine synthesizers that targeted a SARS-Coronavirus that caused an epidemic in Terra during the 2650s; with the other major pharma company being the Matredonna Research Institute in Erios.

West Finch would come under scrutiny in the 2660s when the company illegally marketed their celorexan solutions* for off-label uses, violating HDCA* regulations. The company settled for an undisclosed amount, however rumours suggest it was one of the largest pharmaceutical-related settlements of the century. Later research by Stemata Biomedical Research Academy (in Gauus) concluded that the off-label marketing promises were inaccurate and largely ineffective.

In the 2690s, West Finch discovered a method to package a super-saturated methylphenidate solution into a small aerosol canister. This was initially used for medicinal purposes at major hospital sectors, but the tech soon made its way to the consumer market as an alternative to nicotene inhalers. This later became a popular recreational drug known informally as "Finches."

In the early 2710s, the Operational Executive of Erios*, alongside the UNIA, opened an opportunity for pharma-biotech companies, as they were searching for a highly effective yet safe stimulant mixture that could boost the performance of small-craft navy pilots. A few years later, West Finch submitted Zynith (gen. arodafinil), which was accepted by the OE and is now widely used in the fleet of the Erios Navy. While initially only used by the military, it eventually made its way to other niche applications, one of them being the HSRL as the main stimulant mixture in the pilot's adrilation cycle.