Wyeth has entered into a global agreement that allows it to use
Intracell's synthetic adjuvant IC31 in the formulation of five of
its investigational vaccines, aiming to simply mix it with antigens
without the need for conjugation.
Drug testing services provider Xceleron has set up new facilities
in the US after regulations recently introduced by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) are setting this industry sector ablaze.
A good selection process, with a realistic set of selection
criteria is essential when looking for the right contract
manufacturing partner, according to a new Datamonitor report.
Biotechnology firm Codexis says it has reached an important
development milestone in its effort to design a biocatalytic
process to produce a key intermediate for a Schering-Plough drug,
reducing manufacturing costs and environmental...
The majority of pharmaceutical manufacturers who have adopted the
lean manufacturing model are not satisfied with their results
according to a new survey, raising questions about the efficacy of
a system popular in the automotive...
Offshoring contract manufacturing is not the only option for large
pharma firms looking to drive productivity and efficiency gains in
drug manufacturing, warns a new report from independent market
analyst Datamonitor.
New research show that the outsourcing trend is set to drive the
analytical laboratory market over the next seven years, however
small labs are in danger of drowning in the process.
As the bio-outsourcing market hits boom time, the number of
contract biomanufacturing organisations (CBMOs) that specialise in
the production of biopharma products, is rapidly expanding.
Thermo Electron introduces its rapid mixing accessory that is
designed for use with Thermo's Evolution 300 UV-Vis
spectrophotometer offering scientists reliable and precise
measurement of fast reaction kinetics.
Portuguese drug producers are small and need to merge or form
alliances to compete at a global level, investing more in
innovation and increasing their competitiveness like custom
manufacturer Hovione has done, a new report by market...
After selling a manufacturing plant in Texas to Cardinal Health two
years ago, Adams Respiratory Therapeutics has reacquired the
facility in order to produce its expectorant Mucinex (guaifenesin
extended-release), responding to a...
In an attempt to counter competition in generic active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from Asian manufacturers, BASF
has decided to downscale production at its Minden production site,
implementing a restructuring programme that...
Seattle drug firm ZymoGenetics has taken Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS)
to court for infringement of its fusion protein technology patents
by several products, including arthritis medication Orencia
(abatacept).
Germany's Merck has announced its biggest investment in
pharmaceuticals in its 338-year-old history, as its top-selling
oncology drug Erbitux (cetuximab) has driven the company to
allocate €190m for the construction of its first...
In the first drug master file (DMF) approval of its kind, the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sale of
metformin hydrochloride tablets which are produced by an Indian
company using a pharmaceutical formulation...
Canadian contract manufacturer Patheon has teamed up with specialty
pharmaceutical firm Depomed to offer its clients a controlled
release formulation which can grant their drugs increased
bioavailability and less frequent dosing.
Biopharmaceutical firm Altus has asked contract manufacturer Althea
to produce Phase III quantities of a crystallised formulation of
human growth hormone (hGH) which can be administered subcutaneously
weekly instead of daily.
Thermo Electron has reported an operating profit growth of 26 per
cent to $143.2m (€111.2m) and boosted its profit margin by three
percentage points to 20 per cent in its second quarter results.
Fisher Scientific has reported a second-quarter pre-tax profit jump
of 31 per cent to $146.1m (€113.4m), reflecting the success of
recent acquisitions and operating initiatives.
Difficulties in identifying tablets have emerged as a major issue
in a recent US survey of 150 pharmacists who are warning drugmakers
that the lack of distinct appearance in pills leads in dispensing
errors that cost more than 7,000...
Despite its consolidation, the competitive consumable sector still
offers potential for rapid growth and better profits in the
biopharmaceutical industry, while contract bioprocessing services
will be increasingly in demand, according...
For the first time Merck has opened the doors of its
under-construction manufacturing plant in North Carolina to public
officials, boasting it will eventually contribute about two-thirds
of its annual live-virus vaccine production.
A survey of eleven production plants of major drugmakers has
revealed considerable variation in capacity utilisation, with the
top performers being those who embrace automation and spend little
on non-core activities.
Instrumentation provider ABgene has launched the first automated
device for the opening and closing of screw caps on sample tubes
that it claims is three times faster than the manual method.
Buoyed by lucrative biodefense contracts, Emergent BioSolutions has
showcased a new large-scale vaccine production facility in Michigan
which it will use to make Biothrax, the only vaccine approved in
the US for the prevention of...
A cartridge shortage that forced Amylin and Eli Lilly to ask 40,000
physicians in the US to stop prescribing their injectable diabetes
drug Byetta to new patients has come to an end thanks to a boost in
production by contract manufacturer...
Nexcelom Bioscience, a provider of instruments for cell-based
assays, has just launched a new cell counter to make the cell
counting process quicker and easier.
Albany Molecular Research (AMRI) has announced a multi-year drug
substance manufacturing agreement with New River Pharmaceuticals,
as its attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicine
looks set to hit the market.
Pennsylvania environmental regulators have accused Merck of
hampering their investigation of a chemical discharge from its West
Point facility that resulted in a major fish kill on the local
creek and threatened the water supplies...
Agricultural firm Embrex has installed its in ovo delivery
system and egg remover at the production facility of Shenzhen
Neptunus Interlong, believed to be the largest and most advanced
human influenza vaccine manufacturing plant...
Researchers have developed a new light microscope that is so
powerful ituses a nanometre-scale resolution to spot individual
proteins in a cell byusing a fluorescent labelling method.
India's potential to further boost its already dominant role in
global generics production, as well as an offshore location of
choice for contract manufacturing, presents an opportunity worth an
estimated $48bn (€38bn) in 2007,...
More problems at Patheon's Puerto Rican production facilities in
the third quarter of 2006 are expected to reduce the contract
manufacturer's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and
amortisation (EBITDA) by more...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has censured three
American national pharmacies for using the traditional practice of
compounding as a ruse in order to operate as drug manufacturers,
producing thousands of unapproved copies...
US biotech firm Genzyme has been given a green light by the US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin manufacturing its kidney
drug at its Waterford facility in Ireland.
While Lonza's biopharmaceutical business has taken off, tough
competition from cheap Asian competitors is eating away at its
exclusive synthesis business - meanwhile, the whole business is
being hit by rising raw material and...
Drug manufacturers are increasingly turning to specialised
providers of analytical services for the solid state
characterisation of their formulations, seeking answers to
processing issues, drug delivery challenges and even protecting...
Contract research organisation iNovacia is expanding its compound
library by increasing the number of compound storage modules in a
bid to cope with new contracts.
Researchers have found that a simple and inexpensive test can help
determine which patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) are at
low risk for recurrence and can therefore avoid unnecessary and
potentially dangerous long-term anticoagulant...
The global demand for virgin activated carbon is tipped to rise
five per cent per year to reach 1.2m metric tons by 2010, fuelled
by increased use in the pharmaceutical sector.
Pharmaceutical excipients can have a profound impact on the release
profile of drugs, driving fine chemical companies to raise their
game since they realise their clients see excipients as more than
inactive ingredients.
West Pharmaceutical Services has reported a huge surge in both
sales and profits for its second quarter, spurred on by the
increasing demand for injectable drugs as well as the lucrative
Exubera manufacturing contract, which helped...
Researchers have created a compact optical device that could
make"lab-on-a-chip" possible by shrinking all the sensing power of
biosensorsand developing a new design for photonic crystals in the
process.
Failure to get it right in designing and implementing a
manufacturing process results in the loss of time and money, but
the risk of this can be minimised if some basic organisational
steps are followed, argues Brookwood's director...
More and more drugmakers are turning to health care companies not
just for their drug delivery technologies but also for their
regulatory and manufacturing expertise, asking them to take their
product from early stages all the way...
Cambrex's Q2 results show that the life sciences firm is slowly
making a comeback after being crushed by a $140.3m (€116.7m) loss
in Q4, however, it has failed to completely stem the bleed from its
Biopharma unit, blamed for...
