Chemicals firm Lonza has vowed to spend $200m (€160m) over the next
few years to expand in southern China, further limiting its
dependence on external suppliers of intermediates and active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
The US Navy has extended an existing deal with Austrian biotech
company CEL-SCI to further investigate the company's novel drug
compound, CEL-1000, that could offer 100 per cent protection
against Malaria.
Thermo has unveiled a new blend measurement solution for the
real-time analysis of pharmaceutical blending processes in solid
dosage form manufacturing which can be easily moved from blender to
blender and used on any size pharmaceutical...
Polymer Laboratories have launched a new Evaporative Light
Scattering Detector (ELSD) that it claims will improve the analysis
of pharmaceutical compounds at low temperatures.
A target-seeking molecule that can be used to visualise and treat
cancer tumours is set to improve detection and treatment of the
killer disease, which is a lot more successful if therapy begins at
an earlier stage.
Scientists think that their latest discovery could result in the
production of new drugs to treat Kaposi sarcoma tumour growth,
which is the most frequent tumour in AIDS patients and is caused by
infection of the patients with the...
British catalyst technologies firm Reaxa has slashed the prices of
its encapsulated catalysts by two-thirds following increased demand
for production scale quantities in pharma applications.
An AstraZeneca collaboration has identified the location of a
schizophrenia gene that is set to offer hope for more effective
drugs. The gene appears to affect the production of myelin, the
material that insulates nerve fibres.
Determined to focus on its fuels and lubricant additives business,
specialty chemical firm Lubrizol has sold its active pharmaceutical
ingredient (API) and intermediate compounds division to Auctus, a
German private equity firm.
Silicone product provider Busak and Shamban, showcased a variety of
solutions at this year's Interphex event, highlighting the
stringent demands made by the pharma industry are met by its range
of sealing and bearing products.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has begun distributing Trizivir tagged with
radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as it intensifies
efforts to combat counterfeiting.
British drug delivery firm Vectura has inked a deal with Boehringer
Ingelheim to develop a dry powder inhaler (DPI) for a range of
proprietary respiratory products of the German company,
intensifying competition in a burgeoning asthma...
Discovery Partners International is offloading its unprofitable
contract drug discovery operations and merging with Infinity
Pharmaceuticals to create a new public company focused on cancer
drug discovery and development.
A pioneering website has been set up that enables members of the UK
public to express their support for medical research that uses
animals as subjects.
Researchers think they have found a gene, which when disrupted
interferes with the ability to absorb lipids through the intestine.
The discovery has added to new insights into mechanisms behind
lipid and cholesterol processing, and...
GE Healthcare has launched a new contract offering that it claims
will cut the cost of running the service operations in life science
R&D labs by up to 20 per cent, at a time when pharma and
biotech firms are facing intense cost...
Bertin Technologies makes available its solution for biological
sample preparation to extract nucleic acids (DNA & RNA), and
proteins - a crucial process in drug discovery and development as
well as having implications in the...
US-based contract research organisation The Smithers Group,
announced the acquisiton of UK company Rapra Technology in a deal
that seals the fate of Rapra, which was forced into Administration
last month.
Invitrogen and Signalomics have agreed terms to develop
nanotechnology-based laboratory approaches to cancer diagnostics in
a move that is set to make the identification of tumours easier and
quicker.
Agilent Technologies has stepped out of its comfort zone to pursue
a new line of business in ribonucleic acid (RNA) production, with
the recent acquisition of SynPro.
As the threat of new viruses like avian influenza have heightened
the need for greater speed and safety in vaccine production, single
use technologies are proving far more safe and economic than
traditional cleaning techniques, according...
Kurve Technology has announced it has entered into a partnership
with US pharmaceutical firm Schering-Plough involving its nasal
drug delivery device which promises greater efficacy and efficiency
than traditional devices such as...
ESA Biosciences make available its HPLC detection tool that is
designed for laboratories that use THF (tetrahydrofuran) as a
component in chromatographic separations and sample analyses.
A new interactive voice response (IVR) package is available for
small clinical trials, aimed at companies who previously found this
technology unaffordable.
American Peptide Company (APC) has entered into a manufacturing
agreement with Affymax for the clinical supply of the first in its
pipeline of peptide-based drugs.
AppTec Laboratory Services has signed a new contract to manufacture
Chromos Molecular Systems's new multiple sclerosis (MS) drug for
pre-clinical safety and toxicology studies.
A team of researchers have developed a strategy in which genes
linked to cancer mutations could easily be identified aiding
predictions as to which patient will respond favourably to novel
drug treatments.
Despite lingering ethical, legal and social concerns, the
application of stem cell research in drug discovery and development
is set to play a greater role as areas of unmet medical needs will
need to be addressed as rates of incidence...
The possibility of a new class of anti-inflammatory compounds that
exhibit broad action across multiple therapeutic sites could be on
the horizon after Reata announced the completion of a license
agreement for these drug candidates...
Contract manufacturing services provider Dowpharma, has signed a
collaboration agreement for its Pfenex Expression Technology, its
fourth agreement in 1Q 2006, signifying the technology's popularity
in developing new vaccines...
US packaging specialist, Comar, chose Interphex, New York, to
launch its new custom design and production service for
pharmaceutical packaging, offering customers a free initial
consultation.
Olympus launches its latest screening station for the life science
industry, in which the design aims to combine the modularity and
flexibility of a microscope-based set-up with the automation and
throughput of screening applications.
Scientists have made a remarkable discovery that could open up new
avenues in drug development resulting in novel therapies for the
treatment of poxviruses such as variola virus, the cause of
smallpox.
Outsourcing outfit, Oxford Genome Sciences and the University of
Oxford have announced the development of new clinical biomarkers
for colorectal cancer, which paves the way for a more personalised
approach in treating this killer...
After three acquisitions in two months, inVentiv Health has now
expanded capacity in two of its divisions to meet the needs of its
jump in client base.
Ablynx and Procter and Gamble have announced the extension of its
Nanobody drug discovery and development agreement to metabolic
targets in a move that reinforces the feeling within the industry
regarding Nanobody technology and its...
Sigma-Aldrich launches an online tool consisting of data detailing
biological pathways that provides an online resource to those in
the drug industry interested in first-in-class range, including
small molecules, antibodies, enzymes,...
Momenta, a US biotech company whose polysaccharide technology for
the delivery and improved formulation of existing drugs promises
lucrative revenues, is worried its generic version of
Sanofi-Aventis's Lovenox may be in jeopardy...
Nanoparticle product provider Microfluidics has used this year's
Interphex show to introduce products based on its Microfluidizer
processor technology, providing solutions for laboratory and
manufacturing applications that use...
BioTools Swiss has made available its new media preperator for the
laboratory automation industry, which claims to be the fastest
processor of readily dispensable agar/nutrient medium.
American chemists have found that seeds of the sweetgum fruit
contain significant amounts of shikimic acid, the main starting
material for Tamiflu, in a discovery that could prove vital, as
demand for the drug skyrockets amidst bird...
Olympus has unveiled a working concept of what is claimed is the
next generation in fluorescence in vivo imaging systems by enabling
time-lapse and live imaging of emitted light from labelled
processes and tissues.
The growth spurt continues for Icon Clinical Research as it opens
up a new office in Milan, Italy, following a recent acquisition and
two new global contracts.
Watson Pharmaceuticals is selling its unprofitable injectables
manufacturing plant and pulling out of this market segment
altogether. The Company is now establishing contract manufacturing
agreements to take over the 15 products affected.
Beckman Coulter launches its latest monoclonal antibody that
identifies Tolereogenic cells making it highly in transplant and
cancer research. It is also applicable in clinical research on
autoimmunity.
VASTox has initiated a fifth drug discovery programme for cancer
focusing on a crucial pathway that is active in the developing
embryo when cells are required to constantly grow and
differentiate. The pathway has been identified as...
