Although India 'has carved out a significant portion of the world
pharma pie', an enormous change in mindset is needed if the country
is to become a global pharmaceutical hub, according to a new report
from KPMG.
Dutch firm Crucell last week announced that it has entered into an
agreement with vaccine specialist Sanofi Pasteur for its next
generation rabies antibody cocktail.
Galapagos' services arm has scored another lucrative contract from
big pharma - its first in the field of oncology - as it continues
to broaden its experience.
Applied Biosystems, Pharmos, Pearl Therapeutics, Pacira
Pharmaceuticals and Covance have all had people on the move in the
world of pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Merck & Co has handed the reins of one of its US active
pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facilities over to
new a owner, who has also secured a lucrative contract
manufacturing deal with the drug giant.
While GSK, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly have hit the headlines in the
UK Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) investigation into illegal bribes
paid to Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime, many more pharma firms are
on the organisation's...
One Equity Partners (OEP), the private equity arm of JPMorgan
Chase, is in the process of selling its stake in Quintiles for a
reported sum of over $3bn.
US-based MPI Research and China's Shanghai Medicilon have formed a
joint venture in preclinical services, as they position themselves
to cash in on what is a budding market sector in China.
Sanofi-Aventis has decided to pull out of its skin cancer
collaboration with IDM Pharma, leaving the Californian biopharma
firm considering job cuts as a way to lower costs.
A team of US researchers have uncovered a cocktail of three drugs
that could be effective at treating every patient with a particular
type of brain cancer that typically has a dismal prognosis.
PharmEng's subsidiary Keata Pharma is the new owner of Pfizer's
manufacturing facility in Arnprior, Canada, which the drug giant
has been trying to pass on for over a year.
US researchers have developed a new biochip technology that could
dramatically reduce the need for animal testing during drug
development safety studies.
Outsourcing-Pharma.com compiles the news that has featured in the
clinical contract community of late, involving PPD, PRA, Accutest
and Premier Research.
France-based Flamel Technologies and Merck Serono have shook hands
on a new €2m ($2.9m) deal which would see Flamel's Medusa
technology used to develop an extended-release profile of an
undisclosed therapeutic protein.
Microarray expert Affymetrix is to buy molecular biology reagent
firm USB Corporation for $75m (€52m) in a bid to accelerate the
development of new genetic analysis tools.
UK-based William Ransom & Son has a shaky future ahead
following a disappointing and unacceptable six-month financial
report, compounded by a suspension of the companys manufacturing
license.
Pfizer, the world's largest pharma firm, has reached into its
pockets to buy CovX, a privately-held US biotech that specialises
in combining the strengths of peptides and antibodies into new
drugs.
Scientists have discovered a potential new drug target that will prick up the ears of sportsmen and athletes alike. Not that this is an performance-enhancing drug; instead, it could help athletes recover from injury more quickly.
MDS Pharma is continuing its efforts to move on from the trouble
caused in its Pharma Services segment by a US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) review of its Montreal-area bioanalytical
facilities.
Merck & Co. has just inked "multi-million dollar" deal
with Cognizant, at a time when the US-based IT services firm is
pursuing a greater presence in the life sciences sector.
Harvard Bioscience has rejected an unsolicited acquisition offer
from Skystone Advisors to acquire all outstanding shares of common
stock in the life science tools and instrument manufacturer.
Siegfried has signed a $27.7m contract with Arena Pharmaceuticals
to manufacture Arena's Phase III oral obesity drug candidate
lorcaserin hydrochloride.
Two French contract research organisations (CROs) that specialise
in ophthalmology have banded together to offer specialised services
to this niche market.
The technology used to decipher an organism's gene sequence has
come on in leaps and bounds this year. So much so that the US
National Institutes of Health (NIH) has now released funds to
create new tools to analyse this wealth...
US biopharma firm Alba Therapeutics has received a boost to its
coffers after Shire agreed to pay up to $325m (€226m) to help bring
its lead gastrointestinal drug candidate to market.
Patheon has finally revealed its plans to tackle the ongoing
problems it has been facing with its Puerto Rican operations, which
are draining the firm of profitability.
Curiox Biosystems has developed a miniaturisation platform that
enables cheaper and more efficient bioassays to be conducted,
potentially slashing the costs of life science and drug discovery
research.
Merck has been hit with a contamination threat prompting the recall
of a million of its childhood Hib vaccines across the US, right
alongside the Canadian suspension of its MMR vaccine.
The first steps in tightening the safety controls on the
pharmaceutical ingredients imported to the US from China have been
taken following months of negotiations between the regulatory
bodies of the two countries.
US researchers have developed a fast and inexpensive protein
biomarker detection device that could simplify disease diagnosis
and aid in following disease progression in drug trials.
The creation of a new 'super cell' that can stand firm against one
of the newest types of cancer therapy could shed new light on how
to treat patients if they become resistant to these drugs.
Researchers have developed a miniature synchrotron that could
enable researchers to conduct protein crystallography experiments
in their own university and 'revolutionise the way science is
done'.
Merck Serono intends to forge ahead with severing its investment in
diabetes and either sell or partner out its existing research and
development (R&D) activities in this field, which it no longer
feels able to compete in effectively.