The innovation gap between the EU and the US will not be closed
before 2010 if the present rate of progress continues, according to
new figures contained in the Commission's European innovation
scoreboard for 2003.
An imaging system that promises to take the tedium out of protein
crystallisation experiments made its European debut at last week's
International Biotech conference in London, UK.
German biopharmaceutical company Medigene has been granted a US
patent covering a specific manufacturing process for viruses suited
for the use in therapies and research.
A lactose product developed by DMV International of the
Netherlands, Pharmatose DCL14, has properties that give it
performance advantages over rival excipients used as
filler/binders, according to the company.
Japan's Sumitomo Chemical is absorbing its wholly-owned Sumika Fine
Chemicals subsidiary and combining it with its own activities in
this area to bolster its role as a supplier of pharmaceutical
chemicals.
Japan's Nitto Denko has developed what it claims is the world's
first biodegradable gene carrier that can be used to transfer
foreign genes into animal cells. Because the polymer breaks down in
the body, it exhibits extremely...
A pilot study supported by the European Commission has concluded
that a lack of access to scientific equipment and technology, and
not salaries, is one of the main factors causing the 'brain drain'
of scientists, often from...
TTP Labtech gave the first European demonstration of the
high-throughput version of its mosquito liquid-handling system,
designed to cope with the tiny quantities of reagents used in the
new generation of 1536-well plates, this week...
The high cost of some of the compounds kept in pharmaceutical
company libraries has driven a move towards the use of smaller and
smaller quantities of samples in both in storage and
high-throughput screening.
An oral drug developed to treat the common cold that was rejected
for approval by the US Food and Drug Administration last year could
find a new lease of life in an oral formulation, according to its
developer. If this is correct,...
The new agreement between BioProgress and an unnamed US
over-the-counter pharmaceuticals firm could double the UK company's
capacity to manufacture cellulose films for drug encapsulation,
according to chief executive Graham Hind.
Three individuals have been formally charged in the US for their
alleged involvement in the counterfeiting of Pfizer's Lipitor
(atorvastatin) as investigators try to unravel the intricate web of
conspirators behind the case.
PURE Biosciences of the USA has opted to sell off its water
treatment business, which includes the Fillmaster line used in the
pharmaceutical industry, in order to focus on its
environmentally-friendly antimicrobial products.
Germany's Bayer has received offers to buy NewCo, the newly-created
company including parts of its chemicals and polymers divisions,
but will still go ahead with plans to float it on the stock
exchange , according to the group's...
New legislation in the US to give the elderly and disabled rights
to reimbursement for prescription drugs under the federal Medicare
system has been passed by the Senate. It has been estimated that
the measure could expand the revenues...
Gaining ground in the billion dollar safety needles and syringes
market US development stage company Maxxon has linked up with Texan
drug delivery manufacturer Globe Medical Tech for a run on millions
of syringes.
InforSense, a leading provider of software solutions for
streamlining life science research informatics, has today launched
the Knowledge Discovery Environment 1,9.
The European Parliament's Environment Committee takes a vote
tomorrow on the review of the EU medicinal product directive, set
to define the boundary between dietary supplements and
pharmaceuticals. Europe's pharmaceutical...
The European Research Council Expert Group (ERCEG), set up under
the Danish presidency to investigate the creation of a new European
body for the support of basic research, has delivered a provisional
verdict in favour of the idea,...
Pliva, the Eastern European giant, is today hosting a R&D day
in London. The company says that it plans to update investors and
analysts alike on the recent developments in the company's R&D
pipeline.
German drug major Bayer has entered into a collaboration with
Artemis Pharmaceuticals focusing on the development of
genetically-engineered mice that are designed to have human-like
biology. The ArteMice will be used in Bayer's...
Applied Biosystems has introduced a system for rapidly identifying
and characterising potential antibody, diagnostic and therapeutic
candidates. The 8500 Affinity Chip Analyser can detect and measure
up to 400 antibody binding interactions...
Since they were first described in 1998, the existence of so-called
nanobacteria - tiny RNA-based organisms that form microscopic
mineral structures that have been blamed for causing calcified
deposits in diseases such as atherosclerosis...
Pierre Fabre shuts down a facility manufacturing over-the-counter
pharmaceutical products at its Veyron & Froment subsidiary in
Marseille, blaming the move on France's de-reimbursement strategy.
Like many life sciences companies before it, Crucell of the
Netherlands has started a major shift in strategy from a technology
platform company to one involved in in-house product development.
Could this put pressure on its well-established...
Just ahead of the Lab Automation Europe and International Biotech
conferences in London this week, DrugResearcher.com spoke with
Kevin Hrusovsky, the chief executive of Caliper Technologies, to
get his take on the current state of...
After acquiring local firm Erre Emme Reference Mterials, LGC
Promochem has opened a new sales office in Italy as part of its
strategy to expand its network of operations across Europe.
Micap, which specialises in using yeast and other organisms as
microcapsules for protecting active compounds, is set to expand its
business after extricating itself from an 'onerous' license with
Unilever Bestfoods.
The US has passed a new bill that will see the country invest €3.1
billion in nanotechnology over the next four years and should
cement its position as a leader in this emerging technology sector.
Rhodia has revealed the extent of job cuts that will take place in
the wake of its restructuring exercise, initiated in response to
the financial pressures facing the chemicals group.
Serono has unveiled a $200 million (€168m) investment in an Israeli
facility that will be used to produce Rebif, the company's drug
treatment for multiple sclerosis.
ESA has developed a set of oxidative stability tools that could
allow compounds with unfavourable characteristics to be weeded out
at an early stage of development.
Merck & Co continued a run of bad luck in its product
development portfolio yesterday with the news that it had
terminated the development of a drug to treat diabetes.
Belgium's Devgen has been awarded a €1.9 million technology
development grant from the Flemish government to develop a
technology to identify the molecular target of human drugs.
Cambrex has appointed a new CEO to oversee the combination of its
small-molecule and biological active pharmaceutical ingredient
(API) activities into a single business unit.
Isotag and Biocode merge to form Authentix, specialising in
technologies used in the prevention of counterfeiting, adulteration
and diversion of products. Pharmaceuticals will be a key focus of
the combined entity.
Dutch biotechnology company Crucell has put in place another
element in its strategy to develop in-house drug products functions
with the appointment of a new vice president of development.
The prospect of a prescription drug benefit for the elderly in the
US has led to share price hikes in Euro pharma companies; SG Cowen
analyses the impact.
Dow Chemical has teamed up with Germany's greenovation Biotech to
develop ways of manufacturing therapeutic proteins such as
monoclonal antibodies in plants.
Transgenomic has won a contract to manufacture an
oligonucleotide-based ingredient for an adjuvant candidate used to
increase the immunogenicity of vaccines.
UK biotechnology bellwether Celltech has announced plans to close
its proteomics unit in early 2004 at a cost of £5.5million (€7.8m),
giving up on the search to find a buyer for the business.
CIMA is granted a US patent covering the use of effervescence to
improve the absorption of poorly-soluble drugs and target delivery
to specific areas of the GI tract.
Agilent returns to profit for the first time in two years in the
fourth quarter ended October 31, as cost-cutting compensated for a
modest decline in revenues.
Denmark's Novo Nordisk has signed a €47m deal with Neose to develop
long-acting versions of three protein drugs using a proprietary
PEGylation technology.
A new ligand for use in the production of chiral pharmaceutical
intermediates, developed by France's Synkem, promises improved
performance over rival products.
