Responding to growing demand, Biotechnology giant Amgen has
announced an expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Puerto
Rico, investing $1 billion (€835 million) in the project over the
next four years.
Recently approved, Exubera is the first in a line up of needle-free
insulins promising to win the hearts of diabetics. Amidst all the
hype, some market analysts predict it will be a blockbuster, while
others believe it has been overvalued....
UK scientists think that diabetes patients could be able to receive
insulin via a nasal spray using yeast, which would open up the way
for a spray to be developed to replace injections.
Specialty pharmaceutical firm Shire has filed for approval to
European Regulatory Agencies of SPD476, an ulcerative colitis drug
which uses Cosmo's cutting-edge MMX multi matrix system, promising
to give the company the upper...
SAFC, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich Group, has launched a supply
solutions business, which aims to combine its Specialties business
with the manufacturing site that was acquired from Degussa last
year. The move is the latest step...
Nanotechnology company Nanotrope has been awarded a $600,000
(€500,000) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 grant
from NASA for its research in nanoscale droplet technology, which,
apart from the agency's deep space...
According to a new report RFID production is to increase 25-fold in
four years, buoyed on by the scramble by pharmaceutical
manufacturers to comply with the new RFID Certification program,
which aims to synchronise the industry's...
Outsourcing specialist Celsis Laboratory Group will provide
contract testing services for drug firms Mutual and Procter &
Gamble, advancing the company's status in this market.
A new laboratory test, which enables the rapid diagnosis of urinary
tract infections with novel biosensor technology, has proved so
successful that it may replace antiquated testing methods, saving
health care costs and valuable diagnosis...
NovaScreen BioSciences introduces a new side effect panel, which
aims to improve procedures in identifying potential risk factors of
drug candidates, by incorporating a broader range of receptor
subtype assays, which target a broader...
Scientists have re-engineered a well-known antibiotic to counter
drug resistance forming a new molecule in the process that could
assist in treating hospital infections, which were previously
resistant to common antibiotics putting...
Outsourcing-Pharma: Focus on Phase IIIB-IV research
A new book is available to help those involved in designing and
conducting Phase IIIB and IV research gain maximum return on
investment and deal effectively with post-marketing safety issues.
Asia is emerging as a hot spot for low-cost medical device
manufacturing as European drug companies pursue outsourcing options
or relocate production to cut costs. This increasing Asian
competition is alarming for European medical...
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) publishes its fourth quarter earnings, which
indicate a significant profit rise well ahead of industry
predictions, with momentum building in its product pipeline of new
drugs giving the company the go-ahead...
Supelco, a division of Sigma-Aldrich, introduces its HPLC Column,
which offers improved retention power and resolution for
difficult-to-separate analytes. The column becomes the latest in
the Ascentis' family range, adding to...
The industry trend in outsourcing opportunities shows no sign of
weakening as contract researchers, easyRegDocs, introduced a new
service that aims to simplify the process of completing clinical
trial documentation, saving time and...
A hiatus in leadership, changes in accounting rules and a
restructure in manufacturing have taken their toll on separations
specialist Whatman, whose sales growth for last year appears
stagnant, just 1 per cent up when adjusting for...
Packaging specialist Autopak has launched a new tablet/capsule dust
removal equipment which promises to meet the strictest of FDA
cleaning requirements at a competitive price.
The Food and Drug Administration has announced the approval of a
new laboratory test that provides preliminary results within four
hours on suspected H5 influenza samples that previous technology
required at least two to three days...
Dow AgroSciences has received the world's first regulatory approval
for a plant-made vaccine for animals, which not only represents a
new category of plant-made vaccines but also paves the way for
human vaccines made in a bio-contained...
Commercial packaging and clinical trials services provider Brecon
Pharmaceuticals has completed the doubling in size of its facility
in Hereford, responding to growing demands from its pharmaceutical
customers.
Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), the largest supplier of custom
nucleic acids in the US, has bought Texan oligonucleotide (oligo)
supplier Synthegen, making further inroads into this fast-growing
specialty market.
Outsourcing-Pharma: Focus on Phase IIIB-IV research
The spate of recent high-profile drug recalls, culminating in the
dramatic high profile withdrawal of Vioxx in 2004, has fuelled a
trend of consolidation within the Phase IIIB-IV clinical trials
outsourcing sector that looks set to...
Affymetrix and Iconix have formed a collaboration to develop new
solutions for assessing the toxicological and pharmacological
properties of drugs and drug candidates.
Molecular Devices has launched its proprietary system, which offers
Fluorescence Polarisation (FP) and Time Resolved Fluorescence
Resonance Energy Transfer (TR-FRET) detection, allowing researchers
to select between these two well-known...
A UK university has joined forces with a major pharmaceutical
company in a unique collaboration, worth £2.5 million (€3.6
million) ensuring drug researchers of the future will be trained in
'magic bullet' drug R&D, which...
Evotec has announced the successful completion of the single
ascending dose component of its phase I trial for its
subtype-specific NMDA receptor antagonist drug candidate for the
treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Cardinal health experienced a 42 per cent jump in quarterly profit,
helped by renewed growth in its drug distribution and sterile
manufacturing operations, which have both experienced problems that
dragged down earnings in previous...
ARTEL announces a new laboratory innovation to improve the
performance of automated liquid handlers, introducing a system
capable of verifying multichannel instrumentation using non-aqueous
test solutions, such as Dimethyl Sulfoxide...
Laboratory equipment maker Thermo Electron saw its Q4 net income
fall 53 per cent to $56.5 (€47.2) m from $121.1 m a year ago due to
one-time tax charges, but new acquisitions and a surge in demand
for its instruments, particularly...
Agilent's breakthrough HPLC-Chip technology forms the basis of its
new reusable microfluidic chips, designed to compliment the
company's high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chip/mass
spectrometry (MS) modules.
Biocrystal has upped the stakes in the cell culture market with
Opticell, a product it claims brakes away from traditional cell
culture concepts and promises to reduce costs through increased
efficiency.
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Patheon has reaffirmed its dominant
position in the outsourcing market with the announcement of a
five-year master supply agreement with drug giant Merck.
Amgen are to create a European Development Centre in the UK,
significantly increasing UK R&D employee numbers. Amgen's
announcement echoes the UK Government's commitment to attract more
R&D investment with a view...
Agilent have dived in to grab a slice of the growing $1.3 bn mass
spectrometry market with the launch of a series of new liquid
chromatography-based mass spectrometry (LC/MS) systems that are
cheaper and faster.
Supplier of small-scale pharmaceutical equipment Isopak has
launched what it claims is the smallest vacuum mixer with cooling
and heating facilities in Europe for mixing dry powder, cream,
ointments, paste and lotions in batches between...
A technology partnership between ARTEL and Caliper Life Sciences
aims to enhance automated liquid delivery standards improving
laboratory data integrity. The collaboration aims to manufacture
technology to a level that is outlined...
Bayer CropScience will use Cresset BioMolecular Discovery's
molecular field technology to identify novel early-stage active
compounds to develop into new agrochemicals for the crop science
industry.
Croatian drug firm Pliva has sold its Dresden production plant to
Italy's Menarini Group as it tries to recover losses suffered by
its failed venture in proprietor drugs and an end to most of the
royalties it receives.
Quest Diagnostics, the US's leading provider of diagnostic testing,
information and services announced better than expected fourth
quarter results after increased clinical testing activity helped to
offset a weakness in its test...
Animal extremist activity in the UK may be on the wane after 2005
saw incidents of damage to company, personal and public property,
halve compared to 2004. The figures indicate the effectiveness of
the Serious Organised Crime Act,...
Outsourcing-Pharma: Focus on Phase IIIB-IV research
Phase IIIB-IV clinical research in the US is now booming, growing
20 per cent annually, compared with only 7 per cent for Phase
II-III research, driven by a surge in public drug safety concerns
and increased drug market competitiveness.
According to a new report, automation technologies and integrated
systems are set to fuel growth in the clinical laboratory analyser
markets, accelerating the movement towards increased workstation
consolidation and more streamlined...
Amgen are to create a European Development Centre significantly
boosting UK drug R&D. The announcement echoes the UK
Government's commitment to attract more R&D investment with a
view to making the UK a leader in biotechnology.
GE Healthcare has launched a new line of uncharged IMAC media
suitable for both research and process scale-up applications, which
combines high flow rate and high binding capacity, which give
researchers the power to select the metal...
Surmodics has announced that as a result of a collaboration with
the Donaldson Company, the first of a collection of new synthetic
nanofibrillar cell culture surfaces have been produced that will
improve cell culture, cell-based bioassays...
AstraZeneca, Baxter BioPharma Solutions, Daiichi Asubio Pharma,
Janssen Pharmaceutica and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals are the finalists
competing for this year's Facility of the Year Award, which
recognizes innovation and cost effectiveness...
On your marks, get set go! The FDA has fired the starting gun and
Pfizer is finally off and running after the long-awaited approval
of Exubera - the world's first non-injectable insulin - expected to
hit the US market by mid-year...
Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a
small handheld device that makes finding veins easier and quicker,
saving time and money.
Scientists have reported a discovery at the cellular level that
suggests possibilities for drug therapy for kidney disease. This
discovery could open up new avenues of laboratory research into the
disease that could help the 600,000...
