Germany's BASF has entered into a collaboration with Solvias of
Switzerland that will see the two companies combine their expertise
in the development and manufacture of chiral intermediates for the
life science industry.
Pharmaceutical scientists at Cardiff University, UK, have developed
a new method of delivering drugs for treating breast cancer that
promises to be more effective than current treatments
In the wake of label giant Avery Dennison's recently announced
charge into the radiofrequency identification (RFID) sector, Dan
Scarborough, the group's chief operating officer, has shed more
light on the rationale for the...
The first commercial products from chloroplast transformation
technology (CTT) looks a distinct possibility after Chlorogen
signed a joint development and supply agreement with Sigma-Aldrich
to produce four specific proteins in tobacco...
Drug delivery specialists Merrion Biopharma has announced the
opening of new facilities in Ireland, strengthening its position in
the $24 billion oral drug delivery market and reinforcing the
healthy state of the Irish pharmaceutical...
France's genOway, the company behind the first-ever cloning of a
laboratory rat last year, has reported a double whammy of good
news, raising €4 million in funding and forging an alliance with
the world's number one drugs...
Scientists have discovered the antimonial drugs used to treat
Leishmaniasis focus on the same drug targets as those drugs used to
treat sleeping sickness and Chagas disease, raising the possibility
of a multi-functional drug that...
Scientists at Yale University in the US have discovered the
vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays an important role
in the development of the disease and raises the possibility of new
asthma drugs that block VEGF receptors...
In a dispute with Stanelco Fibre Optics, Bioprogress Technology has
been awarded outright ownership of a master patent giving it
exclusive rights to the process of making capsules from
non-gelatine materials by means of radio frequency...
What happens to medicines after their work is done, and they end up
in the wastewater stream? This remains a big unanswered question
that needs to be answered to gauge the impact of drugs on the
environment, according to presentations...
Medicated chewing gum company Fertin has launched its Chlorhexidine
therapeutic chewing gum in Singapore, the second chewing gum brand
approved since the country's relaxation of its chewing gum ban.
A drug derived from a natural source - the cottonseed rape plant -
could find a new application as a cancer drug after failing to
prove itself as a male contraceptive.
UK supermarket chain Tesco has begun rolling out an RFID network to
track shipments from its central distribution centre to all 98 of
its Tesco Extra superstores, with completion set for Christmas this
year.
Bayer has boosted its presence in the developing microtechnology
market with the acquisition of Ehrfeld Mikrotechnik, a specialist
in the manufacture of tiny reactors for chemical processes.
The European Commission has published details of a new proposed
regulation aimed at stimulating research into drugs for use in
diseases affecting children.
Filtration separation specialist Pall has introduced a new filter
technology that improves the effectiveness of bioburden reduction
in pharmaceutical production and cuts costs.
One of the first trials of pharmacogenetics in a clinical setting
has revealed that the approach allowed a cancer drug to be used
more effectively in patients with a rare and virulent form of brain
cancer,
Invitrogen, a provider of life science technologies, has entered
into new licensing agreements to supply its Gateway Technology and
clones to worldwide genomic research centres. This will allow
scientists and laboratories to share...
In the UK, The Health Protection Agency is planning to revamp the
Food, Dairy, Water and Environmental (FDWE) laboratory service
network from this November to deal with new outbreaks and
emergencies.
A best-selling drug used by millions worldwide to treat arthritis
has been withdrawn from the market after comprehensive clinical
data confirmed long-established concerns that the treatment could
increase the risk of heart attacks...
A new family of drugs specifically designed to inhibit nuclear
import of integrase, blocking viral replication of human
immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infected cells suggests an
approach that could be effective against drug...
Software provider Accelrys becomes the latest company to exploit
the use of compound databases in drug discovery. It has agreed to
integrate Sigma-Aldrich's chemical compound catalogs into Accelrys'
chemical suppliers database...
Medicine containers that talk and give instructions on dosing have
been discussed for a long time, but the first systematic
application of the technology has come from a somewhat unlikely the
source - the US Army.
Chemicals group Lanxess - to be spun out of Germany's Bayer next
year - plans to relocate a plant in Texas to China in order to tap
into the strong growth in the market for chemicals there.
US biotechnology company Corgentech has licensed a peptide delivery
technology from UK-based Cyclacel to help it develop a new class of
gene blocking drugs.
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk has decided to put its
weight behind the inhaled insulin project it has been pursuing
alongside US drug delivery specialist Aradigm.
Applied Biosystems has announced the introduction of a new workflow
management and process automation solution software that integrates
data form multiple sources for genomics and proteomics
laboratories.
Medivative Technologies, a contract manufacturing and process
engineering services supplier to the life sciences and medical
device industries, has just been cleared for operations by the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A collaboration between CompleGen and DuPont is set to
industrialize the pre-clinical drug development process and reduce
the time to bring a drug to market. Under terms, CompleGen will
gain access to a chemical library consisting...
France-based ProSim has introduced a comprehensive database of the
thermo-physicial properties of close to 2,000 pure compounds that
should be valuable for researchers working in process simulation.
Researchers in the US have recognised one of the key functions of
the c-myb gene, which leukaemia cells depend on for proliferation,
is the formation of white blood cells. The discovery is sure to
position the gene as a potential...
A new report into pharmaceutical R&D has identified an emerging
trend favouring outsourcing of discovery research, clinical trials
and formulation manufacturing, providing pressure relief from
consistent, high-growth financial...
Ireland's pharmaceutical industry saw a return to strong growth in
July, after a lengthy period in which the prevailing wisdom was
that the sector had plateaued.
A molecular 'switch' allowing cancer cells to detach
themselves from the host of other cancer cells and move away to a
different parts of the body has been discovered Researchers believe
this molecular step is a viable target...
Germany's chemical and pharmaceuticals firm Altana is considering
an acquisition valued at up to €500 million to strengthen its
specialty chemicals division, according to chief executive Nikolaus
Schweickart.
Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical of Japan has been granted the first
approval - in the Netherlands - for a product based on its
proprietary OCAS drug delivery technology.
Germany's Girindus is this year's recipient of the Product
Differentiation Award sponsored by consulting firm Frost &
Sullivan for its innovative developments in the commercial
production of oligonucleotides.
Sun Microsystems has been working on a number of initiatives
designed to help manufacturers improve supply chain efficiency and
achieve RFID compliance in time.
This week has seen several companies unveil significant capital
investments in new production and research units, and once again
production facilities for biological drugs - currently said to be
suffering from undercapacity - feature...
IBM has announced a $250 million (€203m) investment programme in
radiofrequency identification (RFID) and will boost the number of
employees working in this area by 1,000.
Australian nanotechnology company pSivida, which earlier this year
revealed it has designs on the drug delivery market, has created a
wholly owned spin-off diagnostics company, AION Diagnostics.
Bonar Plastics has developed a new container for hazardous liquids
that reduces the risk of spillages, is easy and safe for operators
to clean, and can be monitored using wireless technologies.
Sulfa drugs, the primary therapy for treating anthrax, are losing
the battle in its effectiveness in treating this bacterium, of
which antibiotic-resistant strains are emerging. Now,
computer-generated images which show bacterium...
The US subsidiary of Germany's Dr Hielscher has introduced a new
ultrasound device for the formation of aerosols that could have a
role in sample processing and quality control.
Dutch biotech firm Qiagen has announced the acquisition of key
assets of Molecular Staging (MSI), which includes the Whole Genome
Amplification (WGA) technology, designed to eliminate limitations
created by scarce quantities of DNA...
Emisphere Technologies of the US has entered into a licensing deal
with Swiss drug major Novartis to develop an oral formulation of
recombinant growth hormone, currently administered by injection.
A new report into pharmaceutical R&D worldwide identifies a
changing trend in increasing R&D focus of drugs for breast
cancer treatment compared with those for prostate cancer. This may
account for prostate cancer becoming...
The recent surge in HIV research shows no sign of terminating as
researchers reported the successful targeting of an HIV protein
that has eluded existing therapies. The technique used for
identifying the synthetic molecules may also...