Outsourcing-Pharma.com compiles the news that has featured in the
clinical contract community of late, involving PPD, PRA
International, SpineMark and Pacific Biometrics.
European pharmaceutical manufacturers stepped up calls for a
blanket ban on repackaging of pharmaceuticals last week, suggesting
that this would be the single most effective way to seal the supply
chain for counterfeiting drugs.
US technology specialist Honeywell International says that new
features of its POMSnet manufacturing execution system (MES) can
help pharmaceutical firms reduce production errors.
BASF's drug excipient manufacturing site in Geismar, Louisiana in
the USA has been accredited under the US Pharmacopoeia's (USP)
voluntary certification scheme.
Eli Lilly and Rexam are both investing in their French
manufacturing facilities in preparation for the production of an
insulin pen they are developing.
Ireland's Almac Group has announced the creation of a new oncology
division that will focus on the discovery and development of "novel
and innovative" approaches to treatment in this key disease area.
Outsourcing-Pharma.com presents a round-up of recent contracts
signed in the manufacturing arena, featuring new deals for Angel
Biotechnology, PharmEng and Akela Pharma.
Commonwealth Biotechnologies (CBI) has planted its first roots in
Japan, as the world's number two pharmaceutical market continues to
attract foreign firms.
The PER.C6 cell culture-based antibody production platform has
achieved a new record yield of 27 grams of IgG antibody per litre,
bettering the 15 gram per litre mark that was reported earlier in
the year.
Germany's Bayer hopes that its pilot-scale production facility in
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt will help establish its tobacco plant-based
expression system as leader of the lucrative protein manufacturing
sector.
Cordium Links has partnered with an unnamed Chinese firm to bring
electrocardiogram (ECG) laboratory services to companies performing
cardiac safety evaluation as part of clinical research in China -
claiming to be the first firm...
Invitrogen plans to cement its place as one of the world's largest
suppliers of analysis tools and reagents for the life science and
pharmaceutical industries by acquiring Applied Biosystems (ABI).
Baxter has successfully produced H5N1 influenza vaccine in African
green monkey kidney cells in quantities sufficient for clinical
testing, according to an article published in The New England
Journal of Medicine.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pushing for Congress
to approve the use of more third-party inspectors as the regulatory
body attempts to police a complex global supply chain.
Only months after having its first offer rejected, ClinPhone has
finally agreed to a deal allowing Parexel to acquire the firm.
However Quintiles has indicated it may make a play to outbid its
rival.
DSM and the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) have
criticised the European Commission's proposals for tackling
counterfeit active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
A US senator has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a
probe into outsourcing of production for pharmaceuticals, as well
as ways to make drugmakers accountable for products which fail to
meet quality standards.
Germany's Uhlmann says that a process offered by its new range of
blister packaging machines that removes the need for an additional
product chain in the cartoner will help drugmakers save time, space
and money.
PharmaLinkFHI has announced the acquisition of a UK-based clinical
research organisation (CRO) called Matrix, as consolidation within
this industry sector continues.
Beckman Coulter and Orchid Cellmark have filed a lawsuit against
Sequenom in another patent infringement case that alleges Sequenom
is guilty of violating patents belonging to Orchid and licensed to
Beckman.
GE Healthcare has announced its intention to invest $20m in radical
new technology, which will allow laboratory research results to be
transmitted and shared amongst doctors worldwide setting to define
a new age in patient care.
In the latest biotechnology courtroom battle, Oxford Gene
Technology (OGT) reported that it has filed suit against BioArray
Solutions for deliberately infringing three of its patents that
relates to technology capable of detailed...
Ineos Polyolefins hopes that its new Eltex MED low-density
polythene (LDPE) packaging line will provide pharmaceutical
manufacturing firms with a means of meeting the demands of long
term storage.
Patheon gave an update on its restructuring plans in Puerto Rico
yesterday, saying that its plant in Manati will be updated to
provide contract manufacturing of high-potency drugs and controlled
substances.
Encorium Group has just announced its intention to acquire an
oncology-focused contract research organisation (CRO), along with
plans to merge with another entity that will offer it a wider
global reach.
Introgen Therapeutics says advances in its biologics manufacturing
and storage technologies have allowed it to broaden the scope of
its contract manufacturing operations and set up a new unit called
Introgen Technical Services (ITS).
A company based in the US and Germany has set up what it describes
as a 'Facebook for scientists', in a move that brings the
phenomenon of social networking firmly into the workplace.
Japanese glass and chemical company Central Glass has found a swift
route into the contract manufacturing market for active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Europe via the purchase of
Girindus' facility in Halle-Kuensebeck.
The impending ban on albuterol inhalers that use chlorofluorocarbon
(CFC) propellants will see branded hydrofluoroalkane (HFA)-based
products completely dominate the US market as, to date, no generic
HFA albuterol has been developed.
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has recruited IBM in its latest round of
outsourcing, granting the IT giant a $324m business process
outsourcing (BPO) contract.
Contract pharmaceutical services supplier Arch Pharmalabs has
purchased a 70 per cent stake in fellow India-based active
pharmaceutical supplier (API) Benzochem Lifesciences for around Rs
1bn ($23m), strengthening its position in...
The pharmaceutical industry could save millions by adopting new
crystal monitoring technology, according to research published in
Crystal Growth and Design.
Russia has witnessed a drop in generating new business activity on
the clinical trials scene over the past year, but has been
increasing its own activity in this field.
Sartorius Stedim Biotech has teamed up with Wuxi AppTec to help
companies remove some of the strain of carrying out viral clearance
testing, which for large biopharmaceutical companies can carry a
price tag of up to $1m a year.
Cambrex, etrials Worldwide, Premier Research, InVentiv Health and
OmniComm Systems have all had people on the move in the world
of pharmaceutical outsourcing.
Life Science equipment specialists Thermo Fisher Scientific has
launched its latest liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)
system, which builds on existing mass analyser technology to
produce a instrument for scientists in...
The American Society for Mass Spectrometry meeting (ASMS) was the
scene of a lot of activity from Agilent this week as the lab
instrument specialist unleashed new mass spectrometer products at
the show.
Contract manufacturing group Helix Medical hopes that expansion of
its global production capacity will help it corner the
pharmaceutical industry's injection moulding thermoplastics market.
Singapore's Economic Development Board has been taking strides over
the past year to further its biomedical sciences industry and vie
for global attention amidst the other Asia Pacific players,
particularly in the field of translational...
West Analytical Services says it has introduced a testing platform
to help customers testing pulmonary and nasal drug products and
their delivery devices.