S R Pharma have released its interim results for the first half of
2005, which show the continued consolidation of Research and
Development costs as resources were diverted to acquire contract
development services provider, Atugen.
Two novel technologies, designed to check water supplies for
toxins, is set to provide a new on-site monitoring approach,
enhancing current utility monitoring systems that require water
samples to be sent to laboratories for analysis.
Animal activists' latest target in its campaign of terrorism has
centred on a chain of children's nurseries that has links with the
chemicals testing company, Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS).
Greenbridge Environmental Control of the UK has introdueced a new
cleaner and disinfectant agent, suitable for commercial scale
applications, that is claimed to be the first non-toxic product of
its type.
Research scientists have targeted alterations in a human
chromosome, which can be used to improve the diagnosis and
treatment of brain tumours in adults that currently account for
over 50 per cent of primary tumours.
UK drug delivery company Skyepharma has been forced to raise funds
to carry out trials of its combination drug for asthma and chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) after failing to find a
partner for the project.
Celtic Pharma has announced the acquisition of a stake in IDEA - a
biopharma company, which is developing targeted therapeutics based
on novel, Transfersome carriers that can increase drug potency and
diminish harmful side effects.
A patent covering a simple design for a safety syringe, which uses
a vacuum rather than a spring to retract the needle after use and
should be cheaper to manufacture than current products, has been
filed in the US by Maxxon Inc.
US biotechnology major Genzyme officially opened four European
facilities last week as part of a investment package eventually
expected to cost $540 million (€449m).
DecisionNews Media is seeking a further reporter for its
pharmaceuticals industry news services. Applicants must be
exceptionally bright, ambitious and talented, with experience in
news writing on the pharmaceuticals industry.
Olympus has introduced three new additions to its cell* range,
which enable image capture and documentation, as well as
fluorescence applications that will prove useful for drug
discovery.
The Advanced Biosciences division of US specialty materials maker
Rohm and Haas has decided to sell its entire range of solutions for
the production of biopharmaceuticals directly to customers.
Multisorb Technologies has launched a new oxygen-absorbing product
to increase the shelf life of pharmaceuticals at the ongoing Pack
Expo Las Vegas exhibition.
New discoveries and innovative technologies will create growth
opportunities in the in-vitro diagnostics (IVD) market with
molecular diagnostic assays set to feature strongly in the
development of personalised medicine and theranostics.
Croatian pharmaceutical company Pliva has signed a new three-year
agreement with Pfizer for the bulk supply of azithromycin, the
active ingredient in the antibacterial drug Zithromax.
PANalytical has added a new focusing mirror to its range of PreFIX
optics that for the first time, can analyse macromolecules using a
standard, laboratory-based XRD system, rather than on a synchrotron
beam line or a single crystal...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found itself once
again without a permanent Commissioner after the current incumbent
- Lester Crawford - resigned after 18 months in the post.
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has filed a lawsuit
against France's Sanofi-Aventis, alleging that the latter has
infringed patent protection for an insulin injection system for
diabetes patients.
German packaging company Gerresheimer has announced plans to take
over the pharmaceutical business of troubled Glass Group Inc (GGI)
of the US, after a Delaware bankruptcy court approved the
transaction.
Researchers have claimed that a new microchip could cut animal
testing in the pharmaceutical industry as well as speed up drug
development. By increasing the efficiency of preclinical testing of
new drugs the new chip is also set...
Researchers in the US have uncovered a contributing factor in
interferon resistance of malignant melanoma cells. The finding
represents a step forward in understanding of this type of cancer
and the changes in gene and cellular signalling...
A newly discovered compound, which has revealed new links between
cell signalling pathways and cell migration, may suggest new
avenues for novel pharmaceutical therapies for treating a variety
of diseases, including cancer.
Genentech has announced that studies of Avastin in
platinum-refractory ovarian cancer patients have been discontinued
due to patients developing a serious bowel problem.
Galapagos has announced that its acquisition of BioFocus' would
accelerate its transition to a fully integrated drug development
biopharmaceutical company after the two companies reached agreement
on the terms of a recommended...
Upstate Group has released a new, cost efficient Western blotting
detection kit, which offers the highest signal-to-noise ratios of
any existing luminal peroxidase formulations on the market,
providing improved sensitivity and low...
A US researcher has provided one possible molecular explanation of
how IGF-1 receptor and the IRS-1 protein act as a key growth factor
that regulates cell and body size. The discovery has revealed
details as to how tumour cells proliferate...
The International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers (ISPE) has
developed a definition of restricted access barrier systems, in
collaboration with the US Food and Drug Administration, in order to
clear up confusion in the pharmaceutical...
PD-Rx Pharmaceuticals says it has completed the infrastructure of
an online, web-based pharmaceutical tracking system - called the
Pedigree Security Network - to help combat drug counterfeiting.
PerkinElmer and Invitrogen enter into a strategic agreement to
streamline drug development in which the collaboration will combine
PerkinElmer's technology for ion channel drug discovery and
Invitrogen's voltage sensor probe...
Celsis International has signed a collaboration with BioVentures to
develop a microarray-based microbiological testing system to detect
contamination in pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other process
industries.
Researchers have helped pioneer a novel approach to the development
and delivery of an HIV/AIDS vaccine, which involves a
female-controlled vaginal HIV vaccine. The novel method is to be
tried in order to break the infection cycle...
Olympus introduces its CellCut laser microdissection system for the
life sciences industry, which eliminates any direct specimen
contact ensuring totally contamination-free samples.
According to a new report, the biopharmaceutical market is
predicted to increase from $1.4 billion (€1.14 billion) in 2003 to
$2.6 billion in 2006. The market was dwarfed by the pharmaceutical
industry 20 years ago but continues to...
Foamix, an Israeli company specialising in the development of
topical drug delivery systems, has entered into an agreement with
drugmaker Stiefel Laboratories for the development of a foam-based
treatment for scabies.
The US market for pharmaceutical packaging will grow by nearly a
third between 2004 and 2011, driven by the increasing demands
placed on packaging by biologic drugs and novel drug delivery
formulations, according to consulting firm...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has drafted a current
Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulation for the production of
drugs used in positron emission tomography (PET), a diagnostic
tool.
UK microencapsulation specialist Micap has seen the departure of
both chief executive Michael Brennand and non-executive chairman
Ian Gowrie Smith in a bid to cut the executive payroll.
Eisai has become the first Japanese drugmaker to set up a dedicated
subsidiary in India in order to tap into local expertise in
manufacturing and research, according to local press reports.
According to a recent report, pharmacogenetics is unlikely to
become a reality within the next 15-20 years having been 'hyped' by
the media, who are unaware of the many gaps in current
understanding of how genetics relates...
Euroscreen has announced the issuance of a US patent, which covers
the use of a human G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) human P2Y13.
The patent protects screening processes using this receptor to find
compounds that modulate its activity,...
US generics company Andrx, currently in the throes of an
investigation into its manufacturing procedures by the Food and
Drug Administration, announced the resignation of chief financial
officer John Hanson.
Beckman Coulter has introduced its integrated cytometry solution
(ICS), which simplifies and automates customer processes to improve
productivity. The solution. becomes the first integrated system to
offer laboratory information system...
Biotrace of the UK has acquired MicroSafe Group, an Italian
supplier of microbiological testing products for the
pharmaceutical, food and defence sectors, for £2.5 million.
Key Technology has set up a dedicated pharmaceutical business unit,
Symetix, to lend some focus to its efforts to sell automated
inspection and specialised conveying systems to the drug industry.
The consolidation in the generic pharmaceutical industry continues
apace, with companies in the easterly reaches of Europe now getting
in on the act. Czech Republic-headquartered Zentiva has signed an
agreement to acquire 51 per cent...
A previously unknown zinc oxide nanostructure is set to provide a
new building block for creating laboratory equipment that rely on
electromechanical coupling. The material's cost and flexibility
makes it suitable for biomedical...
US scientists have claimed to have developed the next generation of
effective viral-based therapies for cancer in which 'terminator'
viruses are deployed to destroy primary tumours.
MerLion Pharmaceuticals has entered into a large-scale screening
programme with Cancer Research Technology (CRT) to identify new
anti-cancer drug candidates derived from natural product chemistry.