Scientists have discovered a new nanoparticule-based drug delivery
system to treat brain cancer that it claims could revolutionise
currently used chemotherapeutic treatments for this devastating
type of cancer.
The growing inhaler device market is driving demand for automated
quality control (QC) testing equipment for these products,
according to Astech Projects.
Singapore has successfully completed the first phase of its
biomedical science (BMS) initiative and is now pushing the second
phase forward in order to drive growth in its pharma industry
further.
Covance has invested in mass spectrometer technology that it hopes
will give it the edge over other contract research organisations
(CROs) in the safety testing of new drug candidates.
US-based drug maker Merck, has agreed to outsource some of its
preclinical trial work to an Indian-based company, marking the
first time the pharma giant has used an Indian company to conduct
drug research.
Canadian pharma manufacturer Bioxel has announced the filing of a
second international patent application to secure the synthesis of
paclitaxel and decetaxel - two taxane-based drugs effective against
cancer.
The Servier Institute and Pasteur-Weizmann Council has awarded its
annual prize in biomedical research to two scientists for their
work in diabetes and autoimmunity, paving the way for improved
treatment and an eventual cure for this...
DSM Venturing, the investment arm of the Dutch chemical giant, has
announced it has snapped a 10 per cent share in pharma materials
provider Micromuscle.
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) urged the World
Health Organization (WHO) to change its International
Nonproprietary Names (INN) policy for biological products at a
meeting last week in Geneva.
Actelion has announced it is acquiring biopharmaceutical company
CoTherix for $420m (€328m) with the objective of taking over and
increasing the distribution of Ventavis, the only approved inhaled
therapy for the treatment of Pulmonary...
Animal welfare group, PETA has reportedly targeted Pfizer, accusing
them of also trying to avoid US animal welfare laws by exporting
its animal testing to countries with no or poor animal welfare
standards.
Drug giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been awarded a contract with
the US government to supply 800,000 doses of flu vaccine to the US,
where a bird flu pandemic still remains a threat.
Dragon International has announced its plans to acquire Jinguang
Pharmaceuticals, a manufacturer of Chinese herb medicines, in a bid
to get a first step into the burgeoning traditional Chinese herbal
medicine market.
Integra Biosciences is hailing its novel cell culture system as
being responsible for dramatically transforming the effectiveness
of small-scale antibody production.
A new contract research organization (CRO) has opened in Hong Kong
and will be the only clinical trial site outside of China with the
approval of China's State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) to
run oncology trials.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the pharmaceutical
industry are in strong negotiations to decide how much drug
companies will pay the agency to review new drugs from the end of
next year, when the current law expires.
Merck and Chi-Med have announced the start of their collaboration,
which aims to discover novel small molecule anti-cancer drugs
derived from natural products that modulate oncological pathways.
Packaging maker Owens-Illinois (O-I) and RFID provider Impinj say
they have demonstrated 100 per cent reliability of radiofrequency
identification (RFID) for pharmaceuticals in an item-level live
demonstration.
Vectura and Innovata have announced they are merging in a deal
worth £128.8m with the objective of becoming UK's number one in the
pulmonary drug development sector.
Australia's pSivida said that an undisclosed US firm is now
evaluating its novel BioSilicon technology with the aim of
developing new transdermal drug delivery systems.
General Electric (GE) has launched a range of
ultra-high-performance plastics that it claims will answer the need
for cost-effective injection moldable resin.
Seattle Genetics revealed details of a phase I clinical trial
investigating the viability of a treatment for Hodgkin's disease
and other CD30-positive haematologic malignancies.
Researchers have characterised a component of the severe acquired
respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus that looks to be a promising
target for new anti-SARS virus drugs.
Accelrys are to expand its Discovery Studio software environment
with new and enhanced life science modelling and simulation
functionality, which is set to deliver a broader range of tools for
drug discovery in one environment.
The US government to pass new measures that make prosecuting
animal-rights activists who target enterprises much easier. The
move has lead critics to warn that peaceful demonstrators would be
labelled as terrorists.
Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, has been asked to justify its
decision to outsource its animal testing to countries with no or
poor animal welfare standards, which go against Lilly's commitment
to reducing, refining, and replacing...
A discovery made by scientists has pointed to a brighter future in
the development of drugs to more effectively target, treat and
possibly even prevent inherited and non-inherited thyroid cancers.
Metabolex, has received its first European patent for metaglidasen
(MBX-102), the company's lead drug candidate for treating type 2
diabetes, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance and
obesity.
Dor BioPharma has announced it has made progress with the
formulation of RiVax, a new drug that could be the world's first
vaccine for the deadly ricin toxin.
It has been another few weeks of activity for the budding eClinical
industry as sponsors across the globe continue to move away from
paper toward electronic reporting in clinical trials.
India's Aurobindo Pharma has decided to cut loose its bleeding
Chinese pharma subsidiary - while still holding on to its
ingredients making operation - and instead focus on a new
investment in India.
Cardinal Health has announced the results of its radiofrequency
identification (RFID) tag pilot, the first to test the viability of
the technology across the whole supply chain, from item through to
case and pallet level.
International drug firms are increasingly turning to Taiwan for the
low-cost made-to-order processing of active pharmaceutical
ingredients (APIs), according to the Taiwan External Trade
Development Council (TAITRA).
Pharma companies struggling to choose a suitable contract
manufacturer to aseptically produce injectable final drug products
(FDP) may now have the support they need thanks to a new guide
released this week.
Scientists, who have been studying the venoms of deadly,
sea-dwelling cone snails, believe they have discovered a new target
for painkillers, which could represent a new previously
unrecognised mechanism for treating pain.
Deprived people are dying because pharmaceutical companies and
worldwide governments of rich countries are obstructing the
developing world from obtaining affordable medicines, according to
a new report.
DataLase has revealed a novel labelling tape that it claims is a
cost-effective replacement for print-and-apply labels for outer
case secondary pharma packaging.
Nautilus Biotech and Creabilis Therapeutics have actively
demonstrated the increase in biological activity and resistance to
proteolysis in vitro of a protein that could play a role in
hepatitis B, rheumatoid arthritis, melanoma and...
Researchers in Denmark have discovered a new drug delivery method
based on sugar nanocapsules that could be a breakthrough to treat
cancer, viral diseases and hereditary disorders.
Oxoid has introduced a new plate design for the Oxoid range of
Contact Plates, which aims to make the microbiological testing of
surfaces even easier to store, handle and use.
Oxford Biomedica has made available preclinical efficacy data,
which suggests that gene-based product could have significant
efficacy for those suffering from Parkinson's disease when compared
to current treatment methods.
Canada's Alcan is selling its New Jersey-based lab equipment
business to private equity company River Associates Investments in
order to focus on its core competencies.
A liquidation sale will be held to offload unwanted manufacturing
equipment at a plant formerly owned by Pfizer - much of which is
new and was never turned on or certified.