Scientists have today unveiled a technique for tipping the balance
in favour of antibiotics in their fight against increasingly
drug-resistant 'superbugs'.
Scientists have revealed a possible reason why the Northwick Park
clinical trial of a drug designed to stimulate the immune system
instead led to multiple organ failure in the human volunteers.
BioProgress are set to speed up commercialisation of NRobe, their
solid oral dose system, following completion of a restructuring
agreement with Magenta Oral Dose Design.
UK based researchers have added another dimension to
anti-counterfeiting with an alternative Raman imaging method that
is powerful enough to detect fake drugs without opening the
package.
Cardinal Health is about to sell its drug manufacturing arm to an
international private investment firm, only two months after
announcing its decision to divest the segment, while its second
quarter earnings doubled as a result.
Coley Pharmaceutical has decided to suspend development of its
Hepatitis C drug and will instead concentrate on other innovative
drugs designed to activate the immune system.
A heavy smoker who suffered brain damage and promptly 'forgot the
urge to smoke' could unravel the mysteries of addiction and provide
scientists with a new strategy for designing anti-smoking drugs.
Waters posted an 11 per cent yearly sales increase on the back of
increasing demand from the pharmaceutical industry, generic houses
and outsourcing laboratories.
Swiss chemicals firm and contract manufacturer Lonza has announced
18 per cent rise in net profit in 2006 rising to CHF 222m (€137.4),
fuelled by its strategic move into biopharmaceuticals.
Packaging giant Rexam has fixed a radio frequency identification
(RFID) chip in pharmaceutical bottles in response to Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) recommendations to make use of the technology
to track products through the supply...
Finnish company DelSitech has signed a license agreement with Bayer
Innovation, a subsidiary of the Germany's Bayer group, in a deal
that could lead to the creation of a new generation of wound care
products.
Germany's Vetter Pharma-Fertigung has announced it has obtained a
manufacturing license for its new facility which will expand its
services by adding vial filling for lyophilised (freeze-dried)
products to its portfolio, in addition...
Charles River Laboratories confirmed it is persevering in its
intention to focus on its preclinical and Phase I businesses while
abandoning its late stage development services, during a conference
earlier this month.
Russian researchers have developed an intranasal influenza vaccine
using a novel adjuvant technology, with plans to develop what could
become the first tablet flu vaccine formulation.
Bruker Daltonics has launched a new technology that could
accelerate the use of MALDI imaging in drug discovery labs by
simplifying sample preparation procedures.
Shipping giant DHL has bagged a lucrative contract with pharma
giant Wyeth and become the first logistics provider to be given
complete responsibility for a company's worldwide clinical trial
materials distribution.
In a turbulent year, Whatman has failed to meet its projected
revenue target by 1-3 per cent and changed its management but
resolved litigation that has been hanging over the firm since 2003.
Several groups of scientists are developing compounds that slowly
release carbon monoxide directly into the bloodstream and that
could be used to treat diseases as diverse as high blood pressure,
heart disease and cancer.
Canadian contract manufacturer QSV Biologics has signed two
manufacturing deals in as many weeks, strengthening its position in
the Phase II and III clinical supplies arena.
US-based researchers have developed a transdermal vaccine for
Alzheimers disease which has been shown to clear brain-damaging
amyloid plaques in preclinical studies, offering hope to millions
of sufferers worldwide.
New legislation has helped curb the number of animal rights
extremist attacks with fewer companies succumbing to extremist
pressure, according to a UK pharmaceutical industry group.
More companies in the pharmaceutical industry than any other
industry are set to increase their reliance on information
technology (IT) and business process (BP) outsourcing this year,
new research indicates.
Rexam has introduced two new desiccant caps - Evipharm &
Secupharm - that use a filled in-line silica gel as a desiccant to
improve shelf life of the drug.
German fine chemicals company Saltigo is benefiting from a cash
injection from its parent company, Lanxess. The German firm is
earmarking €30m for plant modernisation at its subsidiary, and a
€10m brand new multi-purpose facility...
Pfizer has announced it will axe 10,000 jobs and close facilities
in a further effort to save on costs; the move comes in the face of
patent expiries for their biggest drugs and the failure of a
late-stage pipeline project.
The move towards electronic files is set to bring major benefits in
the clinical trials area especially in terms of patient
recruitment, new research suggests.
US-based researchers have proven that 'large' nanoparticles can
pass through human mucus, which means that they could serve as
sustained-release carriers for drugs treating diseases affecting
the mucous membranes, such as...
Novel transdermal patch products for two protein drugs could be on
the horizon as Altea Therapeutics announces research agreements
with two 'large' pharmaceutical companies.
There are currently three key market trends that play to Parexel's
strengths and one of them is the globalisation of clinical trials,
the company's CEO claimed during a healthcare conference earlier
this month.
Researchers at the University of Leeds have genetically modified a
common gut bacterium to respond to a sugar and produce a treatment
for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
Agilent Technologies has signed an agreement with Groton Biosystems
to co-market measuring solutions for the pharmaceutical industry,
as the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative gains
popularity among drug manufacturers...
Biopharmaceutical firm SciGen has invested $30m (€23.2m) in a
hepatitis B vaccine manufacturing plant in Israel, expecting to
capture up to 15 per cent of the global market during a three year
period.
Cellartis has begun a new research programme in Scotland as part of
a £9.5m (€14.5m) programme by ITI Life Sciences to develop the
world's first automated process to produce high-quality human stem
cells.
AstraZeneca (AZ) has continued its pipeline consolidation by
investing a further $100m (€77m) in its Boston research centre,
which focuses on treatments for infectious diseases and cancer.
New French research into biodegradable polymers is opening up the
door to controlled release treatments for a broader range of drugs,
potentially doing away with traditional delivery methods of a
variety of drugs.
A vaccine that protects against the effects of nerve agents often
used in chemical weapons is ready to be tested on human volunteers,
according to developer Baxter Healthcare.
The development of a highly sensitive assay for the detection of
drug-resistant HIV strains could aid our understanding of how the
virus mutates, helping new drug discovery programs.
More effective and easier to administer 'Trojan horse' vaccines
could provide protection for the millions of people at risk from
malaria, TB and AIDS, thanks to a breakthrough from a global
research team.