German biotech company Evotec OAI boosted its third quarter
revenues by 18 per cent to €19 million, despite the difficult
operating environment for companies supplying drug discovery
technologies, continuing its recovery from a weak...
Sanofi Pasteur has entered into a license and supply agreement with
Eisai for the use of their novel adjuvant designed to boost the
immune response to a broad range of vaccines.
Varian has announced it is to acquire Polymer Laboratories for $42
million (€35.7 million)in a transaction that adds consumables and
instrumentation for Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) analysis to
its product portfolio.
With the aim of meeting government's needs for pandemic planning,
Roche has announced it is on track to produce 300 million Tamiflu
treatments annually from 2007, after stepping up its production
capacity.
DSM is expanding its anti-infectives production facilities in
India, as part of a global restructuring program to improve
profitability and retain DSM's position in the penicillin market.
Nikon Instruments have launched a series of software and
application enhancements for spectral imaging applications, which
are used extensively in drug discovery and cell biology.
Proditec exhibited its new automatic visual tablet inspection
system at the recent CPhI, designed to provide the first
alternative to manual pharmaceutical tablet inspection for smaller
laboratories.
Lanxess has said it will spin-off its Fine Chemicals operations
into a separate business unit that is expected to become
independent as of the second quarter next year.
New findings may have significant implications for the growing
generics drugs industry, by challenging previous assumptions that
all formulations of the same active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)
are therapeutically equivalent.
Fisher Scientific International reported it's third quarter
performance for 2005, which revealed profit had more than doubled
as a result of improved sales and fewer acquisition related
charges.
The GEA Group has completed an agreement to acquire Steris's freeze
dryer (lyophiliser) product line, in a deal that aims to strengthen
the group's Process Engineering Division in the Process Engineering
Segment.
A Phase I clinical trial, which is investigating the
pharmacological activities of a compound for the treatment of
Alzheimer's disease, has just been completed with results
indicating improved efficacy and pharmacokinetics over...
Biochip technology has redefined the process of drug discovery with
partnerships central to accelerating adoption levels and expanding
revenues in a market that is reinforced by strong bioinformatics
infrastructure and standardisation...
Contract research specialists Xceleron have announced a new
three-year deal that provides support for GSK's bioanalytical AMS
programme for human metabolite profiling and obtaining mass balance
data.
An affirmation that aims to replace the use of laboratory animals
in testing was agreed in Brussels by key industry sectors
representing the European chemical, pharmaceutical and
biotechnology industries.
A diagnostic test, which monitors anti-HIV drugs in the blood, is
set to enter development to eventually become available across
Europe. The test will be used to identify the correct dosage of
medicine for individual patients.
AssurX have launched a software process for document control, which
will enable pharmaceutical manufacturing companies to streamline
their approach to monitoring safety issues and overall quality
control efforts.
The world's first and only radio frequency identification (RFID)
smart cap, originally designed for drug trial compliance
monitoring, is being re-launched as an anti-counterfeiting tool.
A newly signed research and collaboration agreement between MFIC
Corporation and The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) will
facilitate the development of new applications, processes and
products in the growing area of nanomaterials.
pSivida has signed a licensing agreement with Beijing's Med-Pharm,
in a move that will facilitate distribution of BrachySil in China -
the world's fastest growing market for pharmaceuticals.
DSM announced that higher margins and lower fixed costs had boosted
operating profits by 44 per cent to €220 million in the third
quarter, with the performance materials and industrial chemicals
divisions leading the increase.
Beckman Coulter, launch its second offering in its new family of
flow cytometers for drug discovery and basic clinical research. The
new addition aims to expand study parameters of flow cytometry by
incorporating side scatter measurement...
Scientists have admitted that an unexpected genetic phenomenon in
prostate cancer has changed conventional thinking over approaches
in drug treatment of breast, colon and lung malignancies.
Scientists have discovered how good cholesterol (HDLs) provide
human immunity to certain parasites, which may serve as a platform
for the assembly and delivery of two naturally occurring proteins
that combine to create a super-toxic...
According to a new report, more than 400 new medicines are in
development to treat diseases that affect US women, including 62
medicines now in testing to treat breast cancer.
Scientists from the US have discovered that compounds secreted by
frog skin could be used as a successful treatment in the fight
against HIV infection, which if developed further, could form an
effective pharmaceutical treatment.
US consumers could have saved $20 billion (€16.6 billion) in 2004
and even more could be saved in future years by using more generic
drugs, according to a new report by Express Scripts.
Millipore has launched a new reverse osmosis (type III) water
purification system, designed to meet the needs of laboratories
that only require up to 30 L/day of purified tap water.
Troubled firm Flamel reported a sharp decrease in total third
quarter revenues - $3.1 million (€2.6 million), compared to $13.3
million this time last year - resulting in a net loss $11.9
million.
Simulations Plus has announced the release of a new hERG potassium
channel blocking affinity model that extends the capabilities of
its ADMET Predictor software in the area of cardiac drug toxicity.
The selection of pharma and biotech companies reporting results for
the third quarter of 2005 provided mixed indications as to the
state of the industry. Pipeline product fruition may be returning
among the industries as DrugResearcher.com...
Viscotek
launches its latest entry-level system for laboratories looking to
conduct characterisation of proteins, and other biomolecules,
allowing researchers to make a determination of absolute Molecular
Weight, a traditionally...
According to a new study, the worldwide market for in vitro cancer
diagnosis will reach the $7.4 billion (€6.1 billion) mark by 2009,
as the demand for such tests will continue to increase as new
cancer cases soars toward the 10 million...
US researchers have discovered how cancer cells communicate with
each other that is crucial to the tumour growth and motility of
cancer cells. By inhibiting this process via pharmaceutical
intervention, successful treatment of a range...
A federal US judge set a precedent last week in ruling against the
US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in a four-year dispute
against Utah Medical Products.
After positive trial results in Europe, Chiron has initiated a US
Phase I/II study of a new flu vaccine offering faster production in
the event of an vaccine supply shortfall or an avian flu pandemic.
GE Healthcare has recently launched a number of diverse and
transformational medical technologies aimed at improving
productivity across the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.
Merck announced last week a 57 per cent increase in third-quarter
net profit, reporting an operating result of €291 million, a 36 per
cent increase on last year.
Ampac have developed a novel, lightweight, high-barrier pouch,
offering pharmaceutical manufacturers a new option for delivering
pulmonary drugs in a more efficient manner than traditional
container types.
The FDA is to extend its original review period for Exubera
(insulin (rDNA origin) powder for oral inhalation) by three months
to review additional technical chemistry data submitted by its
producers.
Penn Pharmaceutical Services has reported strong sales figures for
the fifth consecutive year, with a key driver of recent growth
being attributed to a boom in contract manufacturing as well as
small-scale commercial batches.
Cryopak Industries has struck a deal to supply GlaxoSmithKline
(GSK) with insulated containers and internal thermal components for
shipping of its temperature sensitive vaccines in Canada.
Cambrex has recorded a gain in the third quarter of this year, with
growth in its Bioproducts and Human Health segments. The company's
troublesome BioPharma division continues to underperform,
indicative of a market for outsourced...
Cardinal Health reported a varied first quarter, with sales and
income receiving substantial gains due to across-the-board
improvement in pharmaceutical distribution, medical products and
services and clinical technologies.
Biolex Therapeutics and Kringle Pharma have announced a
collaboration for the production of a novel protein targeting
cancer. The protein is thought to be inefficient to produce with
traditional expression systems.
Researchers have demonstrated the precise movements of an enzyme
during replication that may serve as a precursor to understanding
genetic disease caused by abnormal enzyme activity.
Scientists have described it as an achievement that will
revolutionise medicine as the first genetic "map" of human
diversity was published. The gene map, which details common
differences in the human genome, could lead...
Genetic diagnostics is driving improvements in modern day medical
treatment with the move towards personalised medicine and
prevention-oriented healthcare all opening up market opportunities
for genetic pinpointing techniques.