Oystershell NV is a Belgian commercial research institute that investigates and develops new medicinal products for over the counter use[1][2].
Oystershell was founded in 1979 in Flanders, Belgium. It was originally an importer of oyster calcium carbonate for laying hens from which it derives its name. In the 1980s it gradually evolved from this agricultural background to veterinary applications. Since a management buy-out in 2002 it is owned by the current management and the biotech investor Rudi Mariën. Since that change, Oystershell has successfully focused on the research and development on healthcare products for third party licensers and distributors. It has no retail sales or any sales activities in OTC markets. Oystershell derives its income from long term contracts with pharmaceutical companies such as Schering Plough, Boehringer Ingelheim, Nycomed Altana and Omega Pharma.
The product innovation focus of the company lies with health products that do not require a drug statute and are sold in pharmacies: medical devices, biocides, cosmetics and food supplements.
Oystershell is the owner of several technologies: