US company STERIS has achieved a significant breakthrough in
aseptic processing with the development of a method for
inactivating prions, the tiny, protein particles that cause
diseases such as CJD disease in humans.
Pharmaceutical companies seeking to design more effective
chemotherapy drugs will be encouraged by the latest discovery that
has isolated the independent mechanisms of action of two anticancer
drugs. This revelation provides drug...
Drug discovery company PerkinElmer and biotechnology company
Vivascience has announced the formation of a joint partnership and
distribution agreement in biomarker screening and discovery.
Aurora Discovery has introduced a low volume-handling instrument
that enables highly automated miniaturization of research assays
for life science laboratories specialising in drug research and
development.
A report into the protein biochip industry identifies a major trend
emerging in protein production, either driven by gene approaches or
research purposes for therapeutic drug production. The report cites
growth in the US market to...
Shares in drug delivery company Nektar Therapeutics fell through
the floor yesterday after it was suggested that regulators in
Europe were not prepared to approve an inhaled insulin product for
diabetes based on its technology.
Sensitech of the US has made another foray into the European market
for cold chain monitoring technologies with the acquisition of
Netherlands-based Temperature Data Systems.
Germany'sLion Bioscience has reported a slight financial
improvement from a year ago, trimming losses in the first quarter.
53 per cent of the Lion's Q1 revenues, or €2.1 million were
generated from Bayer projects.
Borculo Domo Ingredients has forged an alliance with Univar USA to
act as the exclusive distributor for all of BDI's pharmaceutical
lactose products in the US, the world's largest pharmaceutical
market.
US pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is to pay $150
million (€122 million) to settle an investigation in which
regulators claimed the company gave investors an inaccurate
representation of its financial performance by...
Two UK packaging machinery engineers, Autowrappers and Europack,
have been bought by Bradman Lake to create a packaging company that
can supply a full range of machinery and compete with the big
players in the pharmaceutical and food...
Applied Imaging has announced the release of Ariol 2.0, the latest
generation of its Ariol imaging analysis system, providing a suite
of advanced image analysis technologies for cancer testing and drug
discovery.
The German chemicals giant BASF has announced a successful second
quarter, though the company's nutrition and agricultural products
division turned in a poor performance with minimal sales growth and
reduced earnings from the...
Research into obesity treatment and its related disorders took
another step forward after two studies isolated drug targets that
could prove effective for the millions who suffer from
obesity-related problems.
Chemical giant BASF has increased the prices for its plastic
material Styrolux by €200 per metric ton in Europe as of 1 August,
blaming the rising cost of raw materials.
A drug delivery technology developed by SCOLR Pharma has been
adapted to deliver multiple drugs in a nod towards a growing trend
in the pharmaceutical industry to develop combination products in a
single tablet.
SurfE2ROne, a new detection technology for drug discovery and
development, has been launched by its makers IonGate Biosciences
who believe that in using this technology drugs can be developed
faster and more efficiently.
Emerging nanomedicine technologies could find an increasing place
in various areas and applications of the healthcare sector
including drug discovery and development, drug delivery and
providing targeted therapy, according to a new...
Germany's mg technologies has completed the sale of Dynamit Nobel's
five business units on schedule at the end of July, marking its
exit from the fine chemicals and ingredients sector.
The identification of an oncogene, which is associated with brain
cancers, could lead to the development of targeted molecular
therapeutics, controlling brain cancer development through
regulation of the errant gene.
Varian has introduced a mobile washing station that can clean
pharmaceutical dissolution vessels in place, reducing the time it
takes to carry out the process and reducing the risk of expensive
breakages.
Technology holding company Coastal Holdings, has purchased a
significant equity interest in another biotechnology business,
adding to its portfolio of acquisitions and investments in the
biotechnology and nanotechnology fields.
A new screening technique has been developed to target genes that
change patients' responses to cancer drugs and other medications.
By identifying genetic factors affecting patients drug responses,
customisable treatment plans...
The advent of smaller, less expensive marking and engraving lasers
means that packaging firms can expect better performances, claims
Purex marketing manager Jon Young. But in all cases, some form of
fume extraction system is still...
A unique approach to microdosing, providing drug data ahead of
schedule and with improved accuracy, could herald a new era in drug
development in which human ADME data is involved in candidate
selection or deselection.
Speciality chemicals group Noviant has developed a certified
GM-free disintegrant for use in tablets, allowing supplement makers
to continue supplying a full range of products without having to
add labels required under new European...
The first grants given in the UK for drug development in early
phase clinical experiments have been awarded to gene therapy trials
that may herald a breakthrough in intra-abdominal cancer which has
an average survival rate of less...
Life sciences company Tepnel has signed a conditional agreement to
acquire OpiSAS' (Opi) subsidiary Diaclone Research, a company that
produces monoclonal antibodies for in vitro studies and
diagnostic purposes.
Despite Thermo Electron reporting a Q2 revenue growth of 12 per
cent, organic revenue growth declined from 5 per cent in 1Q04 to 3
per cent in the second quarter, due in part to the company's sale
of its Optical Technologies...
A potential new drug target for treatment of cancer has amazed
scientists who believe it plays such a key role in preventing
cancer onset that it opens up a range of different targeting
options for multiple types of cancer.
Locus Pharmaceuticals have acquired the drug discovery company
Protein Mechanics, which brings together novel technologies that
broaden the scope of drug targets and further strengthens its
position as a leading company in computational...
A new drug target, which blocks the reproduction of cancerous cells
without the side effects commonly associated with existing cancer
drugs, has been discovered by scientists who believe this target is
linked to other diseases including...
In a defiant gesture to animal activists, Britain's pharmaceutical
companies have joined forces to launch a £4m research fund to
finance animal experiments in universities.
UK biotechnology company CellFactors has entered administration
following its failure to raise additional funds to further develop
its product Skeletex, a biological matrix derived from human cells
that induces new vascularised bone...
A US biophysicist has won an award for developing a new process
that simplifies the production of proteins in the widely used T7
gene expression system.
US firm Altair Nanotechnologies has filed two new patent
applications on its TiNano Spheres drug delivery system, which it
claims can deliver a large amount of drug, improving reaction
rates.
A novel approach to treating tuberculosis (TB), focusing on a
potential drug target in the cell walls of Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, a disease that is
reappearing as new, multiresistant drug-strains.
The Irish government is joining Johnson & Johnson subsidiary
Centocor in a €650 million investment in a new manufacturing
facility, it said this week. The move comes as some have questioned
the country's capacity to remain...
Contract service provider, GeneLogic, has formed a partnership with
Millenium Pharmaceuticals acquiring a technology program and an
associated research team as part of the deal. Millenium becomes the
first customer for this new service...
Scientists who have discovered the binding site for the
anti-epilepsy drug Keppra have confirmed that the drugs mechanism
of action places it in a new class of central nervous system (CNS)
drugs.
The reality of the violence of some UK animal activists became
apparent after GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Europes's biggest drug maker,
warned that investment and jobs would be driven out of the country
by their actions.
UK chemicals group Croda said strong demand for its marine and
plant-derived oils in the personal care and healthcare sectors
lifted sales and helped improve first half operating profits.
Celera Diagnostics announced it has entered into a collaboration
with Merck to identify novel targets for drug discovery and
diagnostic markers related to Alzheimer's disease.
Dutch group DSM, one of Europe's top three ingredient suppliers to
drug makers, increased sales of pharma products during the second
quarter but continued losses from the antibiotics market halved the
Life Sciences operating...
Switzerland's Lonza Group said yesterday that it will use a novel
process developed by US-based biocatalysis company Codexis for the
synthesis of a key chiral pharmaceutical compound used in one of
the world's major human...
