The drug trial catastrophe, which has endangered the lives of six
male volunteers of which two are still in a coma, could've been
avoided after a similar study conducted last year yielded similar
side effects.
Parexel, one of the world's leading clinical research organisations
is under investigation after six men in a UK drug trial being run
by the company were admitted to intensive care on Tuesday.
Phoenix Data Systems has recently launched an interactive voice
response (IVR) system and a range of new services to accompany its
current electronic data capture (EDC) technology.
Datatrak's $18m (€15m) acquisition of ClickFind fulfills the
company's strategy of offering the broadest multi-component
eClinical capability in the clinical trials market.
Perceptive Informatics, a subsidiary of Parexel, has released the
latest version of its web interface for data capture, patient
randomisation and the management of study drug inventory for
clinical trials.
Anachem has just kicked off a unique new European-wide support and
maintenance service for scientific instruments - the first of its
kind - aimed to help instrumentation suppliers wanting to grow
their sales in Europe.
In order to stay competitive, Wyeth looks to model its business not
on that of other pharma companies, but of other successful big
industries, which includes outsourcing or off-shoring anything that
is not a core function.
Promed is due to start operations at its new research centre in
India, New Deli, this month, in a move that will bring the company
closer to becoming a global provider of drug development and supply
services.
According to a new report, the adoption of eClinical technologies
has been hampered by the ability to take the electronic revolution
to the next level, as the adoption of eClinical technologies
currently remain confined to localised...
Drug developer Biosante has been awarded a $250,000 (€210,000)
subcontract from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), to
develop recombinant Factor IX (FIX) formulations for delivery via
alternative routes of administration,...
Chiltern is expanding its clinical trial services business in
India, and in doing so will be the first company to provide
specialised staff recruitment services for the Indian clinical
research industry.
Pharsight, a provider of software and strategic services for
clinical drug development, has seen its revenues dip for the second
quarter in a row due to lower-than-expected business from a top
client in its strategic consulting services...
British biotechnology firm Angel has won a manufacturing contract
from stem cell therapeutics expert ReNeuron Group to produce a
master cell bank for Huntington's disease, as the company's demand
for stem cells increases.
As China improves its resources and regulatory processes it will
soon become a hotbed of clinical drug research activity, and
position itself as one of the world's most important countries in
this field, according to a new report...
Outsourcing-Pharma: Focus on Phase IIIB-IV research
A new book is available to help those involved in designing and
conducting Phase IIIB and IV research gain maximum return on
investment and deal effectively with post-marketing safety issues.
The industry trend in outsourcing opportunities shows no sign of
weakening as contract researchers, easyRegDocs, introduced a new
service that aims to simplify the process of completing clinical
trial documentation, saving time and...
Outsourcing-Pharma: Focus on Phase IIIB-IV research
The spate of recent high-profile drug recalls, culminating in the
dramatic high profile withdrawal of Vioxx in 2004, has fuelled a
trend of consolidation within the Phase IIIB-IV clinical trials
outsourcing sector that looks set to...
Quest Diagnostics, the US's leading provider of diagnostic testing,
information and services announced better than expected fourth
quarter results after increased clinical testing activity helped to
offset a weakness in its test...
Outsourcing-Pharma: Focus on Phase IIIB-IV research
Phase IIIB-IV clinical research in the US is now booming, growing
20 per cent annually, compared with only 7 per cent for Phase
II-III research, driven by a surge in public drug safety concerns
and increased drug market competitiveness.
Japanese health care firm Eisai will make Hatfield its European
headquarters, in a major £75 million (€105 million) investment that
demonstrates the UK's appeal for big pharmaceutical companies.
As contract research organisations (CROs) continue to search for
cost-effective countries in which to operate, the clinical trials
market is increasingly expanding into emerging economies. Central
and Eastern Europe are continuing...
Covance closed 2005 on a high after net revenues climbed 16.9 per
cent from 2004 to reach $1.19 bn (€1 bn). The current trend towards
outsourcing R&D, coupled with increased productivity and repeat
business has fuelled the company's...
Drug companies are leaning more heavily on contract research
organisations (CROs) to save costs in getting new drugs to market.
And it is paying off, with added benefits. Companies who rely on
CROs are also completing clinical trials...
Covalent Group has signed a new contract worth $2.3 m (€1.9 m) to
conduct a global Phase 2 clinical trial of a new antithrombotic
agent in the US, Europe, and South America.
DataLabs has launched the first software to combine paper data
entry (PDE) and electronic data capture (EDC) in the one program to
accelerate the clinical trials process.
Asia and India are continuing to attract a wave of foreign
outsourcing contracts in the pharma industry, as companies are
lured by productivity-and cost savings. However, these countries
are not yet reaching their potential, as fears...
The FDA has cut red tape and modernised its guidance on
experimental clinical studies to help improve and accelerate the
R&D process of new compounds and ultimately get new drugs to
market faster.
Phase IV clinical trials are becoming key activities for
cardiovascular marketing teams who are increasingly using them to
rejuvenate ageing medications and improve marketing campaigns.
VirtualScopics reported a breakthrough year in 2005, doubling its
customer base to 26 and reaping in more than $5 m (€4.1 m) worth of
business, an increase from the previous year of over 100 per cent.
Hill Top Research, one of the leading clinical research services
companies in the US, has positioned itself for growth after last
week's acquisition by Utah's DW Healthcare Partners, a private
equity firm focused on the...
UK's In2Focus Healthcare Technologies has formed a strategic
alliance with Canadian based IsaiX Technologies, to co-promote each
other's IT technology services for the pharma industry in Europe
and North America.
Indian IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has scored a
contract from Danish pharma company Novo Nordisk for the data
management of its clinical trials run in India.
A new study is underway in the US to define the technical knowledge
and expertise required by professionals involved in drug product
development and manufacturing. The results will form a basis for a
new global credentialing program...
According to a new report, the costs of clinical development are
rising more rapidly in relation to the other parts of the R&D
process, placing greater emphasis on the recruitment of test
subjects, as clinical trial service...
Leading contract research organisation, Covance, has upgraded its
software to streamline the laboratory testing aspect of its
clinical trials and allow sponsoring drug companies greater
involvement in the overall process.
Ventiv's Clinical Services division has joined with India's largest
domestic contract research organization (CRO), SIRO Clinpharm, to
provide India-based clinical data management services, offering
pharma and biotech companies...
Near-infrared (NIR) chemical imaging is emerging as the analytical
tool of choice for drug formulation development, analysis and
process monitoring of the increasing number of advanced drug
delivery systems.
Medical Services International (MSI) has been contracted by a
Chinese corporation to produce a potentially life-saving diagnostic
test kit for avian flu that will give test results in 30 minutes
instead of the current three days.
UK-based Synexus Clinical Research has formed the first
patient-recruitment site management organisation (SMO) in India to
cash in on India's burgeoning clinical research market.
Premier Research has continued its spate of acquisitions this year,
with the latest addition of clinical research organization (CRO)
Imform, which will aid the company's expansion plans into Eastern
Europe.
India's clinical research industry is currently valued at $100
million (€83 million) and is almost doubling each year, reflecting
the shifting focus of the pharmaceutical outsourcing industry to
Asia.
Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) has cut $400 million in annual expenses
over the last two years in order to boost its R&D pipeline and
achieve sales and earnings growth beginning in 2007.
India's Ranbaxy Laboratories has been granted a US patent on its
controlled-release drug delivery system, which takes the form of a
'floating' tablet that once swallowed, is retained in the upper
gastrointestinal...
The European Commission has profiled the top 100 biotech technology
offers in a new brochure, which showcases the offers in such a way
that encourages European researchers to pursue the exploitation of
their own research results.
Omnicare will soon be offering staff that are "eClinical trained"
as a strategic tool to woo clinical trial contracts and compete
with services offered by rival contract research organizations
(CROs) such as Quintiles.
SRA International has received a $15 million outsourcing contract
from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to provide enterprise
messaging and IT infrastructure support services over the next 6
years.
Drug production company Patheon has released its fourth-quarter
results, which has revealed that profit has jumped 180 per cent
despite a recent production halt at a Puerto Rican subsidiary. This
bodes well for the recent manufacturing...
Shanghai-based biotech company WuXi PharmaTech has grown more than
100 times in the last 5 years after operating successfully in
China's infant biotech industry by providing variety of outsourcing
services in drug R&D.