Applied Biosystems introduces a new software tool that aims to
simplify DNA methylation research aiding researchers to further
their understanding of this process in the genetic basis of complex
diseases, such as cancer.
The current big pharma business model is not sustainable for the
future and will need to change, delegates heard at the recent
Financial Times (FT) global Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology
Conference.
Two new drug manufacturing facilities have been launched in global
areas that don't usually see much pharmaceutical manufacturing
activity - Bangladesh and The Gambia.
Biopharma and lifesciences firms should make use of e-learning
software solutions to relieve the burden on keeping staff updated
on regulatory and compliance training.
UK Biopharma company Evolutec has signed a deal with Wacker Biotech
to produce Evolutec's new autoimmune disease drug candidate rEV576
for clinical trials.
Covance has announced it has licensed the use of a technique that
is the only known in-vitro method to predict
in-vivo liver disposition allowing users to identify and
select better drug candidates.
Two trade associations of the world's two largest pharma economies
- Europe and the US - took the unusual step of banding together at
the CPhI in Paris to condemn their regulatory authorities for poor
regulation of foreign active...
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has revealed the grant
recipients for its Cancer Genome Atlas pilot project, which will
see three institutions using microarray platforms from Agilent
Technologies.
As it steps up its presence in the major clinical trials
recruitment hubs in Asia, Quintiles has announced its intention to
open a central lab in India to help feed its expanding network of
clinical trial operations in the country.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has told contract sales organisation (CSO)
PDI that it will not renew its sales contract with the firm at the
end of the year, signalling a devastating $65m-$70m loss in annual
revenue for the struggling firm.
Using a processing technique described as "revolutionary," DSM is
accelerating its activity in the anti-infective arena and targeting
new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) that it can develop
into cost-competitive...
The pharmaceutical sector will have a major influence on how the
integration of RFID technology is spread across other industries,
according to research firm Venture Development Corporation (VDC).
Specialty chemicals maker Rohm and Haas has designed new equipments
for its drug dissolution testing that it claims can reliably
predict the release of oral drugs in vivo, and therefore
potentially reduce the amount of animal testing.
The Food and Drug Administration are set to introduce a series of
measures that will accelerate the review process for generic drugs,
placing a priority on therapies that would address a public health
emergency or nationwide shortage.
Arkema has unveiled a new green oxidation catalyst that it claims
"makes environmental protection a priority," as well as
launching a new product website.
Applied Biosystems has announced the availability of the first
laboratory system that uses mass spectrometry to perform amino acid
analysis, greatly improving the effectiveness and reliability of
the data obtained.
Genedata has formed a new collaboration with Wyeth Pharma in which
the computational biology firm will lend its support to Wyeth's
drug discovery efforts.
Lexicon Genetics has revealed details of the preclinical
development of a novel, orally available small molecule compound
with potential application in the treatment of autoimmune diseases
such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid...
As the clinical trial activities continue to flock towards emerging
countries such as India, Morocco wants its share has been making
efforts to make itself attractive to international trial sponsors.
Service provider Saltigo is reinforcing its position in the
stabilising fine chemical custom manufacturing industry by
investing in the expansion of its German facility.
Firms engaging in both in-house and contract pharma manufacturing
generally display inferior performance compared to manufacturers
conducting only in-house production, according to new research.
Sigma-Aldrich Group member SAFC made its presence felt at the
recent CPhI in Paris with announcements regarding its expansion
activities in transgenic manufacturing and India.
Pfizer CentreSource has decided to outsource the manufacture of some of its active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) to two Asian contract manufacturers and intends to work with the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) during the process.
LifeCycle has signed three collaboration agreements with big pharma
companies for the development of new anti-cholesterol products
using its novel drug delivery technologies.
Millipore has now made available its GPCRProfiler screening service
that allows more accurate characterisation of lead compounds
enabling pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to accelerate
their lead optimisation efforts.
Environmental representatives have emerged triumphant in the latest
round of negotiations over the finer bones of contention of the
European REACH chemicals legislation, due to come in force in April
next year.
Paraxel has acquired a $65m (€52m) US business that will inflate
its early phase capacity enough to make it one of the largest
providers of Phase I services in the world and help "return its US
operations to profitability".
ClinTec International and Dr. Reddy's Laboratories have announced a
partnership, in which both parties are to jointly develop an
anti-cancer drug that belongs to the topoisomerase inhibitors class
of compounds.
Researchers have demonstrated that a new compound has the potential
to effectively cure epilepsy, raising hopes that a new drug can be
produced to treat epileptic patients, who currently have no access
to treatment.
Scientists have come up with a DNA-based computer, which could lead
to faster, more accurate tests for diagnosing West Nile Virus and
bird flu more quicker and more accurately.
Excelsyn Molecular Development claims to have made a "major
advance" in a protein intensification process that can be used to
slash the manufacturing costs of a range of amino acids.
Italian pharma company Indena is strengthening its position in the
"natural drug" market - where drug molecules are derived from
plants - a potentially lucrative niche area of pharmaceuticals.
By 2010 nearly half of all mid pharma firm revenues will be derived
from products that have been discovered outside of in-house
development pipelines, says a new report from independent market
analyst Datamonitor.
As it looks to the "future of pharmaceuticals," Sandoz is planning
a "powerful biopharmaceuticals programme" with the construction of
a new biopharmaceuticals development centre in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
The US pharmaceutical industry could be wasting more than $50bn
(€39bn) per year in manufacturing costs due to inefficient
processes, a new research has warned.
There is a growing realisation in pharma that, to remain
competitive, paper-based trials are not the way forward. Instead,
electronic data capture (EDC) and management technology solutions
are now readily available and becoming more...
NovaThera and Dutch biotech company Pharming have pooled their
resources to develop a new generation of bioactive materials aimed
at the delivery of therapeutic transgenic proteins.
Tecan has made available to the scientific community a new Flask
Flipper module, which has been designed to fit onto the company's
Freedom EVO liquid handling workstations.
A new report is available detailing the top 100 Indian
pharmaceutical companies for those in the industry who have a
business interest in this burgeoning region.
Integrated exploratory protocols could be the way forward in
carrying out early phase clinical studies, which not only reduces
drug development time and cost but minimises risk of late phase
failures.
Datatrak International said it has been offered a minimum of $3m
(€2.4m) worth of contracts for next year out of a deal struck with
its first "multibillion-dollar" pharma firm in the second quarter.
British pharma company Aesica has bought a chemical manufacturing
facility from Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD), Merck's UK subsidiary,
in a bid to increase it manufacturing capacities.
In its ambition to become one of the top three global players in
custom manufacturing, the UK subsidiary of drug-maker Nicholas
Piramal (NPIL) has created a new "innovation unit" in Europe.
Filter maker Pall Corporation has announced its plan to invest
about $50m (€63.5m) to expand its life sciences manufacturing
operations in Puerto Rico and take advantage the island's low tax
regime.
Codexis is using India as a springboard to launch it into direct
sales of high-value generic pharmaceutical intermediates, to be
sold into unregulated markets for use in patented drugs.
Rhodia was present at this year's CPhI, alerting the industry to
its latest product updates, spawned out of the market demand to
provide products that allow its customers to better address process
and handling requirements.
Australia's Sigma Pharmaceuticals is attempting to take over the
reigns of smaller domestic rival Australian Pharmaceutical
Industries (API) in a move that if successful, would allow it to
control two thirds of the $9bn Australian...
Falling foul of the patient recruitment problems that are plaguing
the industry, RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals has recruited an
undisclosed contract research organisation (CRO) to help it with
the mountainous task.