The Internet search engine Google has launched a pilot project with
17 universities around the world, including institutes in Italy and
the UK, aimed at improving access to research papers.
US water-soluble films company MonoSol has bought the UK division
of Aquafilm, giving it access to substantial manufacturing
capabilities in Europe and its range of edible films, report
Phil Taylor and Dominique Patton.
UK contract research company, Peakdale Molecular has invested in
two large-scale glass reaction systems from Radleys to upgrade the
capabilities of its kilo-scale laboratory.
Germany's Merck KGaA has completed the $1.65 billion (€1.32bn) sale
of its laboratory distribution business, VWR International, to US
investment firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
Researchers in France have discovered how HIV hides itself from the
host immune system, raising the possibility of developing new drugs
or vaccines for the disease, reports Phil Taylor.
The next generation of orally-active erectile dysfunction (ED)
drugs took a step closer as researchers isolated a receptor that
could be used as a target of drug treatment without the side
effects associated with the only approved...
UK fine chemical company Ultrafine is to be acquired by
Sigma-Aldrich of the US in a move aimed at strengthening the
latter's offerings for the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.
3M has launched an updated version of its Integrated Packaging Tool
software that brings it into compliance with the US Food and Drug
Administration's 21 CFR Part 11 regulations on electronic
record-keeping, used to generate...
The global generics industry is growing at such a rate that it can
now support billion dollar companies, with activities crossing into
active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production and R&D. This
shift in the sector - from...
Two Dutch researchers have developed a method for managing batch
productions - widely used in the pharmaceutical industry - which
has the potential of improving yields and reducing the number of
lost batches.
A team of researchers in the US has developed a technique that
overcomes one of the bottlenecks in research into the immune system
- identifying the antigens in a disease that stimulate attack by
the immune system.
Two medical charities - Cancer Research UK and the Netherlands
Cancer Institute - have completed the first stage of a pioneering
initiative to systematically uncover the function of human genes.
Membrane Extraction Technology has launched a new version of its
METcell - a chemically-resistant high pressure stirred cell used in
development laboratories in the pharmaceutical and chemical
industry - that can cope with more corrosive...
A new method to improve the accuracy and speed of fluorescent flow
cytometry has been developed. The technique, which is tipped to
become a new industry standard, promises to dramatically increase
the accuracy and speed of the technique,...
India's Dishman Pharmaceuticals and Chemicals has set up a company
specialising in the contract manufacture of active pharmaceutical
ingredients (APIs) and intermediates that is specifically aimed at
winning business from foreign...
The UK's Science and Innovation Minister, Lord Sainsbury, has
defended his government's record on nanotechnology, after last
week's report from the House of Commons science and technology
select committee blamed policy...
France's Sanofi-Synthelabo has announced plans to sell two of its
products to GlaxoSmithKline in a deal which forms part of its
strategy to take over Aventis.
General Electric has completed its €8.1 billion acquisition of UK
healthcare company Amersham, promising to create a new company that
will 'change the face of healthcare,' according to GE chief
executive Jeffrey Immelt.
The US Food and Drug Administration is planning to hold a meeting
in June to re-examine its regulations on electronic records and
signatures, used to generate the audit trail in the food and drug
industries, to examine whether some...
Despite years of promises, there is still not a single product on
the market that has been manufactured in a genetically-engineered
organism. But a soon-to-be released market report maintains that
the floodgates are about to open,...
Researchers studying cell migration and the screening of drug
compounds, can benefit from a new type of cell analysis system
developed by Guava Technologies. These processes are extensively
studied in cancer research and drug discovery...
Cobra Biomanufacturing has granted AstraZeneca the right to use its
proprietary DNA manufacturing process to make nucleic acids for use
in its drug discovery operations.
Scientists studying vaccinia virus, a close relative of smallpox,
have discovered that a gene necessary for virus replication also
plays a key role in turning off inflammation, a crucial antiviral
immune response of host cells.
A scientist has claimed that nanotechnology - devoted to
engineering tiny machines with applications as diverse as drug
delivery, electronics and materials science - could pose a health
hazard and should be investigated further before...
UK-based packaging company Rexam has provided further evidence of
its commitment to the pharmaceutical sector with the purchase of
Plastic Omnium Medical, a company specialising in plastic
components for medical devices.
Scientists atDuke University's Medical Centre in the US have
discovered why certain vaccines are unable to mount an attack
against cancer and have also demonstrated how to overcome this
constraint by reinforcing the vaccines'...
Leaving aside the safety concerns surrounding nanotechnology set
out in In-Pharmatechnologist.com's lead article today, a
report commissioned by the UK government has claimed that a lack of
foresight by both policy makers and...
Distek has developed a new product in its range of devices for
testing how well pharmaceutical tablets dissolve that does not need
a water bath. The benefit? A reduction in maintenance, faster
throughput and less system vibration...
A new technique for engineering protein crystals is helping
scientistsfigure out the three-dimensional structures of some
important biological molecules, including a key plague protein
whose structure has eluded researchers until...
Daiichi Pharmaceutical is to set up a new manufacturing subsidiary
in a bid to profit from forthcoming Japanese legislation that makes
it easier for firms to produce drugs for third parties.
Encapsulation specialist RP Scherer, part of the Cardinal Health
group, has been granted a patent on a technology that could be used
to reduce the amount of flavours and sweeteners used in
fast-dispersing dosage forms.
Danish biotechnology company LifeCycle Pharma has won a contract
with Italy's Recordati to develop an improved formulation of
Zanidip (lercanidipine), used for the treatment of hypertension,
reports Phil Taylor.
A non-profit pharmaceutical company has set up a network of
volunteer scientists in order to plug a hole in medical research -
the development of medicines for diseases that affect some of the
poorest people in the world.
UK filtration specialist Domnick Hunter has made a foray into the
US market with the purchase of a Californian company specialising
in filtration for the biopharmaceutical, food and beverage and
chemical industries.
US biotechnology company Genentech is planning to build a new
large-scale mammalian cell culture manufacturing facility in
California which will be the largest of its kind in the world.
Scientists have started to develop what could be a biosynthetic
route to producing compounds that serve as precursors to a range of
industrial chemicals, including pharmaceuticals.
Novo Nordisk has broken ground on a new manufacturing facility in
Kalundborg, Denmark, that will produce liraglutide, a potential new
product for treating type 2 diabetes.
An international consortium of scientists has sequenced the genome
of the Brown Norway rat, which many predict will deliver a boost
for medical science by alowing the development of better models of
human diseases.
The first in a series of government-funded incubation facilities
opened in Ireland this week, designed to nurture the development of
biotech companies.
A new study has challenged the current thinking that there is a
fundamental difference in the way that solid tumours and leukaemias
developing, and suggests a new way of tackling cancer, reports
Phil Taylor.
IWKA PacSystems of the UK has introduced a new blister packing
machine that can dramatically reduce the time it takes to carry out
validation and get into production compared to rival systems.
A number of countries set to join the European Union in May,
including Hungary, have signed a petition against new EU
legislation that they claim would significantly raise the cost of
providing healthcare, reports Phil Taylor.
The UK's recently adopted standard for child resistance in
non-recloseable pharmaceutical packaging such as blister packs
contains a serious flaw that must be addressed, according to
Stephen Wilkins, secretary of the UK's...
Isopak, a company specialising in small-scale pharmaceutical
production equipment, will introduce a new machine next month that
overcomes one of the major obstacles to making capsules that can
deliver liquid medications.
Rhodia Pharma Solutions has completed a new extension to its
production operation in Dudley, outside Newcastle, in the UK to
strengthen its ability to provide custom manufacturing services to
pharmaceutical companies.
US company NeoPharm believes it may have overcome one of the major
limitations of using RNA interference (RNAi) or gene silencing as a
systemic treatment.
Several companies in the biopharmaceutical technology arena are
championing the concept of disposable manufacturing as a simple,
cost-effective way of making biologic drugs. But data on the actual
cost benefits of adopting this approach...
Spain's Telstar Industrial is developing a technology for leak
testing of pharmaceutical packages that could revolutionise the way
this vital quality control function is carried out in the industry.
