India is gearing up for the introduction of new legislation on
intellectual property that will bring it into line with its World
Trade Organisation commitments.
Swiss biopharmaceuticals company BioPartners has filed its first
application in Europe for a generic version of interferon alpha, a
biological drug. If approved, the 'biosimilar' could be on the
market as early as next year.
The growing loss of patent protection on blockbuster drugs over the
next few years and the rising need to contain spiralling healthcare
costs are going to lend significant impetus to the growth of
Europe's generics and biogenerics...
QTL Biosystems announced the introduction of its QTL LightSpeed
Kinase platform and four new kinase Activity Assays, which uses a
unique polymer technology that does not require antibodies or
radioactive labels, providing a distinct...
Tecan Europe has made available the LabCD, a centrifugally driven
microfluidics disc platform which the makers say will provide a
seamless in vitro method for ADMET applications in the drug
development process.
A class of drug, which is currently used to fight respiratory tract
infections, has demonstrated pharmacological features and potential
antibacterial drug activity that may prove effective against
Tuberculosis, which is currently...
German biotech company Evotec OAI posted decreased third quarterly
revenues of €16.1 million, down 26 per cent compared to 2003.
Evotec's performance reflects the difficult operating environment
for companies supplying drug discovery...
Finnish packaging giant Huhtamaki has reported flat sales figures
in the third quarter of 2004 due to adverse currency translations
and high raw material costs.
Drug company Merck, has presented data this week showing its latest
arthrirtis drug, Arcoxia, a treatment in the same class as its
recently withdrawn Vioxx, displays no significant difference in the
number of serious side effects...
Nobex has partnered with Biocon of India to accelerate its project
to develop an oral formulation of insulin, to provide a more
patient-friendly alternative to current injectable products for
diabetes.
A new technology that could revolutionise vaccine delivery by
eliminating the need for refrigeration has been given UK government
funding in a project to deliver immunisations to the developing
world.
Cambrex has made a second deal to increase its presence in the
microbiological testing, this time acquiring France's Genolife for
approximately $6 million (€4.75m) in cash.
A marriage between US chemicals group Rockwood Specialities and
French separations specialist Novasep will create a unique company
to serve the life sciences industry, according to the two
companies.
Dutch chemicals and drugs group Akzo Nobel saw its net income
accelerate in the third quarter of this year, to the surprise of
analysts and investors, and helped by cost reductions and a big
gain from the divestment of its coatings...
Bristol-Myers Squibb has reported encouraging data from two
late-stage trials of a new drug for rheumatoid arthritis,
abatacept, the first in a new class of T cell costimulation
modulators.
The road to a new treatment for stroke is littered with the remains
of failed projects, so any data suggesting that a drug has activity
in this indication should be greeted with cautious optimism at
best. But AstraZeneca has joined...
This week's announcement of the US approval for an implantable
radiofrequency identification (RFID) chip for use in humans as a
prescription device has been met with consternation by a consumer
group, which fears the technology...
Drug developer 3M has been given the go ahead to manufacture,
assemble and import investigational medicinal products (IMP) for
clinical trials involving human use in the UK, writes Wai Lang
Chu.
Ciba has launched a number of innovative products for the plastics
industry including environmentally friendly additives designed to
increase the lifespan of plastic.
Biopharmaceutical company, Insmed, are to commence clinical
development of a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor, which
has demonstrated anti-tumour activity in preclinical studies of
breast, lung, pancreatic and prostate tumours.
Magellan Biosciences' expressed interest in the life science,
research and clinical diagnostics market turned to action after the
life sciences company confirmed the acquisition of Dynex
Technologies.
Pre-school youngsters with type I diabetes can be treated as
successfully with insulin pumps as with daily injections,
researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine report.
Belgium-based GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals has licensed a new
production technology for its vaccines business that should do away
with the need to use preservatives in the manufacturing process.
Researchers in the US believe the discovery of a technique, which
once applied to an enzyme that degrades anti-cancer drugs in
humans, may improve such drugs' design and effectiveness.
Pfizer has called on the services of an Australian technology
company to create a metallised packaging for its Sudafed brand of
cough/cold products that does not come with an environmental price
tag.
Drug delivery company SCOLR Pharma has signed a deal to manufacture
its candidate decongestant product based on pseudoephedrine,
keeping it on track to start clinical trials early next year.
The contract manufacturing market for biologicals will more than
double over the next six years, but production costs are higher
than necessary because 'downstream' processing is being ignored.
A study performed at Tufts University in the US, commissioned by
the Nordic Council of Ministers, has downplayed the impact of the
controversial REACH legislation on the European chemicals industry.
A Cambrex subsidiary has formed an alliance with Epoch Biosciences
to apply a technology usually applied in genomic analysis to
microbiological quality control for manufacturing processes.
Applied Biosystems has launched a new system for carrying out
polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments in 96-well plates that
can dramatically cut the time it takes to carry out the procedure.
The US Food and Drug Administration this week approved the first
implantable radiofrequency identification microchip for human use,
elevating RFID from a tool for supply chain management into an
enabling technology for improving healthcare...
A new biotechnology company - Peakadilly - has been set up in
Belgium to provide molecular diagnostic tools to guide the
development of new drugs. The company maintains that the tools will
make drug development more efficient, effective...
Cost reductions associated with advances in large-scale
biopharmaceutical manufacturing will play a role in reducing
healthcare costs, according to a new publication.
Researchers writing in the British Medical Journal have argued that
drug companies must disclose all adverse events encountered during
drug development ahead of licensing.
Rexam, which makes pharmaceutical packaging and is also the world's
largest manufacturer of aluminium cans, has sacked chief executive
Stefan Angwald after just five months on the job.
Spanish pharmaceutical company Lacer has unveiled a new investment
programme at a plant in Barcelona that will dramatically increase
its production capacity.
Children around the world at risk of malaria took a step closer to
having a protective vaccine with the reporting of encouraging new
data on a candidate developed by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals.
Hueck Folien, one of the largest European foil converters in the
flexible packaging sector, has introduced an aluminium lidding foil
which is sealable against Aclar, a widely used material in blister
films.
Research into the causes of muscle wasting in diseases such as
cancer and diabetes have thrown up a new potential drug target,
according to US researchers, who report their findings in Cell (15
October issue).
The first system to automate gel casting to user-defined gradients
during 2D electrophoresis has been launched worldwide by NextGen
Sciences, which believe this technology will increase
reproducability and enhance the resolution of...
ESA has introduced what it claims is the first true universal
detector for use with high performance liquid chromatography
(HPLC), a based on a technology called CAD (charged aserosol
detector).
Integra Biosciences has updated the traditional design of the
Bunsen burner by coming up with a new version, which incorporates a
unique triple safety system and a self-igniting system that does
away with lighters or matches.
Serologicals has completed its acquisition of Upstate Group,
acquiring the privately held company for $205 million (€166m) in
cash ($102.5m) and stock.
Asthma research company Synairgen, has announced plans to seek a
listing on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) to raise
funds for the research and development of chronic bronchitis (COPD)
and asthma.
Australia's Benitec, a specialist in gene silencing technologies
based on RNA interference (RNAi), has broadened its patent estate
by licensing a technology from Stanford University in the US that
could overcome the problems...
Leading instrument company Beckman Coulter has launched new
software for its Cytomics FC 500 MPL flow cytometer which it
enables users to automate instrument set-up and data acquisition,
which could help the process of identifying...
UK-based Avecia has been awarded a $50.7 million (€41m) contract by
the US government for the development of a recombinant plague
vaccine. The contract provides funds for pilot lot manufacture,
release, testing and initial human clinical...
The older generation is leading the consumption of nutritional
supplements in the US and the aging baby boomers are the population
to invest in, according to a new report, that also shows the
supplement industry is now firmly in the...
In-Pharmatechnologist's periodic round up of personnel moves in the
pharmaceutical sector includes a crop of new chief executives and
senior managers across the pharmachem, drug delivery and
biomanufacturing sectors.
