UK company Celsis saw softness in demand across its operating divisions in the third quarter ended December 31, and said it was considering “strategic alternatives” for its laboratory services unit.
Albany Molecular Research Inc (AMRI) faced a “challenging headwind” as 2008 drew to a close but still managed to boost its revenues by 19 per cent to $56.4m in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Drug delivery company OctoPlus has signed a new contract with fellow Dutch company Galapagos that it says will “significantly contribute” to its revenues.
IMA chief financial officer Sergio Marzo says that although demand for its machines has been strong so far this year, the number of orders it receives in the second quarter will provide a better reflection of the pharmaceutical industry’s position.
French drug major Sanofi Aventis is in talks about taking over market leading Brazilian generics firm Medley, according to reports the country’s Valor Economico newspaper.
AstraZeneca has installed a customised version of Cytel’s East clinical trial design software, which the pharma giant is using to increase the efficiency and security of its clinical trials.
SAFC’s fourth quarter performance was hurt by dip in demand from big pharma in the US and Europe combined with lower sales to the chemical industry, according to parent company Sigma Aldrich.
A study is predicting biologics will drive contract manufacturing to new heights, with Gilead Sciences reported to be the latest biotech to pursue production partnerships in India.
US software specialist etrials Worldwide has added Belgian rival Unithink to an ongoing lawsuit that accuses two former executives, Robert Sammis and Brendon Ball, of breaching confidentiality agreements.
Genzyme will launch the same biologic under two different names in the US after the FDA decided the drug produced at 2000L was considerably different to the 160L version.
eClinical specialist Phase Forward saw revenues top guidance with a 28 per cent increase to $48m in the fourth quarter of 2008, driven by growth in its InForm electronic data capture (EDC) system.
Spanish drug regulators have ordered a temporary halt to use of a single batch of Merck & Co’s cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil after two girls became sick after receiving the injection, according to Reuters.
New Sanofi Aventis chief Christopher Viebacher has virtually ruled out major acquisitions, eschewing the trend started by Pfizer’s $68bn (€53bn) swoop for Wyeth in favour of an anti-mega merger stance like that adopted by UK rival GSK.
Norwich Pharmaceuticals is expanding beyond its core business to offer clients help throughout a product’s lifecycle, covering exploring new product categories to replacing inefficient suppliers.
Charles River Laboratories will reduce its workforce by 3 per cent, close its preclinical facility in Arkansas, US and sell off its Phase I trial site in Edinburgh, Scotland as part of a cost reduction programme.
A filing with the SEC says that Roche is not prepared to continue in a relationship with Genentech in which it owns a majority of the biotech’s equity but has limited involvement in its governance.
An inspection system for sealing caps developed by Germany’s Vitronic could make the need for rotating pharmaceutical bottles and ampoules on the production line a thing of the past.
TGaS Advisors has launched a new version of its commercial compliance benchmark (CCB), which aims to help companies adhere to the array of guidance affecting their operations.
Compass Pharma Services is targeting contract drug developers and clinical research firms with a new microfilling offering that, it claims, helps reduce waste and may even make excipients unnecessary in some drugs.
MD Logistics has added a 15,000 sq ft of cold-storage facility to its distribution operations in Indiana, US in response to the rising demand for biologics transportation services.
The strained relationship between Genentech and Roche has been revealed in a SEC filing, which details their differing valuations and accusations of misleading financial models.
The quality control systems in place at Isreali drugmaker Taro Pharmaceutical’s manufacturing facility in Ontario, Canada are the subject of a US FDA warning letter following an inspection carried out last year.
Australian packaging company Amcor is in talks with mining giant Rio Tinto about buying part of the latter’s Alcan Packaging Division, confirming speculation that emerged late last year.
Pfizer has preempted the Sunshine Act by promising to disclose payments made to principal investigators, major academic institutions and research sites involved in Phase I to IV trials.
PPD has reached an agreement to buy AbCRO, which it hopes will strengthen its position in the thriving Central and Eastern European (CEE) clinical trials scene.
Seidenader Vision is gearing up to launch a modular track and trace (T&T) solution which, it says, will give drug manufacturers the flexibility to adapt to the changing legislative landscape.
Pliva is laying off 790 employees over the next 12 months following its acquisition by Teva but still intends to significantly increase API and finished product output over this period.
Seattle, US-based Cell Therapeutics Inc is looking at ways to reduce its involvement in a preclinical research facility based in Bresso, Italy, as it tries to cut costs.
New research suggests that deuteration, the replacement of hydrogen atoms with heavier forms, can alter an API's crystallisation properties and help drugmakers make better more effective drugs.
Millipore hopes its $23m (€18m) swoop for Guava Technologies will draw attention away from the underperformance of its bioprocess division, revenue from which fell 6 per cent in Q4 to $214m (€165m) and 2 per cent for 2008 overall.
Researchers have estimated that a pharmaceutical waste water treatment plant is pumping up to 45kg a day of ciprofloxacin into an Indian river, which could have grave consequences for the ecosystem.
Researchers have raised concerns that wirelessly activated drug delivery devices could be hacked to steal personal information or release potentially fatal doses of a therapeutic.
MDS has formed a special committee to improve shareholder value following poor results and pressure from investors to sell some of its business units, which include a CRO division.
Russia approved 615 clinical trials last year, a 9 per cent increase over 2007, lending weight to the notion that the country is becoming a global hub for clinical testing.
Merck & Co has earmarked nearly $1bn in investment funding to boost its quality and manufacturing capacity in vaccines, said chief executive Dick Clark on the firm’s fourth-quarter results call.
US company PRA International has entered into a strategic collaboration with two contract research organizations (CROs) in Southeast Asia in order to tap the fast-growing clinical research market in the region.
King Pharmaceuticals has unveiled plans to reduce its workforce by 22 per cent in a bid to further reduce costs after the US District Court decision to invalidate patents protecting its lead product, the muscle relaxant Skelaxin (Metaxalone).
Authentication and track and trace methods, like pedigree, should be combined to provide layers of protection against counterfeit drugs according to XStream Systems’ CEO Brian Mayo.
Parexel’s eClinical subsidiary Perceptive Informatics has entered into an alliance with AG Mednet to improve the efficiency and quality of the electronic image transfer process.
DSM is evaluating Micronit Microfluidics’ new microreactor, which has been developed to perform industrial scale fluid reactions of fine chemicals in a continuous process.
Haupt Pharma has acquired Pfizer’s production facility in Latina, Italy, which moves the contract manufacturer into antibiotics and allows it to provide additional services to clients.
Regulators in India’s Maharashtra state have compiled a hit list of 110 drugmakers that they intend to prosecute for sub-standard manufacturing practices, according to media reports.
Industrial processing giant Pall is stepping up global promotion efforts for its Allegro platform as the market for single-use drug manufacturing options, estimated to be worth around $400m (€308m), continues to expand.
A team of US scientists have assembled clusters of cells into living ‘microtissues’ as part of a programme aimed initially at reducing the use of animal models in early-stage drug development.
