Private US biosciences company Codexis has acquired the assets of
private Dutch company Enzis. Included in the deal are the patents
to several new classes of enzymes that Codexis will use to develop
cheaper and faster drug manufacturing...
The boom in advanced drug delivery devices is creating demand for
specialist manufacturers that can rise to the challenge of making
these complicated devices, although such companies are currently
thin on the ground.
Vandalia Research has launched a new DNA amplification service that
it claims will speed up the mass production of high-quality DNA
sequences with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), while at the
same time reducing the risk of contamination.
The laboratory identification of promising candidates for new
anti-cancer drugs is to be made significantly easier after
scientists developed a litmus test that determines the bonding
strength of DNA, small molecules and proteins...
A team of drug researchers are exploring the possibility of
extracting chemical compounds from marine organisms that live in
deep-sea reefs, which have the potential to treat human diseases
such as cancer and Alzheimer's.
Biopharmaceutical firm Oragenics has received funding from a US
government agency for a technology which promises cost-effective
production of commercially important bioactive peptides with
unusual structures.
Cardinal Health has taken the contract manufacturing crown after
being honoured with a prestigious award from Frost & Sullivan
in recognition of its ability to provide biopharma firms with a
high quality service, while still remaining...
Scientists seeking new ways to produce Roche's flu drug Tamiflu
(oseltamivir) have published two new syntheses based on cheaper
starting materials than the conventional method.
UK firm Avecia Biotechnology has been given a £1m (€1.5m) grant to
lead a three year project to establish a faster and cheaper
bioprocessing technology for advanced tissue engineering, primarily
to develop new skin to heal burns victims.
Registration is now open for this year's International Society for
Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) European Congress. The topic of
focus is science-based manufacturing for the next decade.
Analytical instrument maker Thermo has announced it will promote
compatibility between its RESULT software and CAMO's Unscrambler
software, bringing together the most powerful near infrared (NIR)
analysers in the industry.
Genentech has entered into a collaboration with biopharmaceutical
firm Immunogen to develop a commercial manufacturing process for
its anticancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) using its
tumour-activated prodrug (TAP) technology.
Lab equipment specialists Gilson, were present at Analytica 2006,
with a whole host of products designed for research and analytical
preparations. The company attend the show with a view to strengthen
its foothold in the burgeoning...
Under pressure to ensure cheap supplies of its flu drug in Africa
in preparation for a possible avian influenza, Roche has asked
contract manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare to produce finished doses of
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) in Africa.
The Tech Group has experienced a quarter of explosive growth as it
ramps up production for the launch of Exubera - Pfizer's
newly-approved and much-anticipated needle-free insulin.
Fresh from its recent acquisition, Applied Biosystems (AB) made an
appearance at the recent Analytica show in which the company
demonstrated the capabilities of its products for life science
research in the laboratory.
Abbott Laboratories has reached a settlement with the US
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after it was found not
complying with leak detection and repair (LDAR) requirements for
hazardous air pollutants at its manufacturing plant...
A new range of liquid pumps, which feature completely inert pumping
heads, are causing waves within the chemical manufacturing
industry, with the ability to mimic full scale production plant
conditions in a laboratory environment.
PerkinElmer were out in force at Analytica 2006, with a wealth of
analytical solutions designed with the laboratory in mind along
with the applications relevant to the environmental,
pharmaceutical, materials and academic research...
Targeting the market for enantiomerically pure drugs, SAFC, a
custom manufacturing group within Sigma-Aldrich, has acquired
Honeywell International's Iropharm unit in Arklow, Ireland.
Biochemical firm Berry & Associates has been awarded $749,000
(€589,079) by the US government to further develop its
oligonucleotide (oligo) purification technique which is
operationally similar to conventional reverse-phase (RP)...
Cardinal Health has implemented a series of business reshuffles and
cost cutting measures in the hope of pulling itself out of poor
profitability after disappointing third quarter results.
The US government has awarded five-year contracts totaling $1bn
(€780m) to five drug companies to develop and produce cell-based
vaccines to fight influenza, in preparation for a possible bird flu
pandemic.
Biopharmaceuticals manufacturer Cobra will provide process
development and manufacturing of two HIV vaccine candidates for
evaluation in clinical trials under an agreement with the
International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and...
In its second acquisition in less than a month, Millipore has
acquired bioprocessing products firm Serologicals for around $1.4bn
(€1bn) in cash, as it tries to boost its growth by expanding in
potentially lucrative market segments.
Italian packaging and processing machinery company IMA Group has
booked more than 1,100 square metres of space at this year's
Achema, determined to push its products ranging from solid dose
processing to labelling and tube filling.
The world's first laser microtome was unveiled at the Analytica
show in Munich in a launch that heralds the use of superior laser
technology in the preparation and dissection of laboratory
materials.
US-based Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has secured an exclusive supply
and contract manufacturing deal with French-based vaccines giant
Sanofi Pasteur to streamline the production of its rabies vaccine.
Researchers at Michigan State University have found that
second-generation taxols, which currently rely on assembly by
semisynthetic organic chemistry approaches, can be produced in a
cheap and environmentally friendly fashion using...
After failing to reverse falling sales at its Pharmaceutical Fine
Chemicals (PFC) division, Clariant has decided to sell the unit to
private equity firm Towerbrook for around SFr110m (€70m).
Leica Microsystems were active at the recent Analytica show in
Germany as it presented its microscopy and imaging system solutions
for research and industry.
Contract manufacturer Dalton has announced the completion of its
oligonucleotide (oligos) manufacturing facility, in a $500,000
(€400,000) investment drive to dominate pilot and large-scale DNA
and RNA oligo synthesis.
Drug giant Merck & Co has seen flat sales and a rise in
operating costs in the first quarter of 2006, as its restructuring
initiative, which contract manufacturers welcomed, takes its toll
on the company.
Surface technology firm CSMA has developed the only commercially
available way of seeing the differences between drug tablets of the
same composition that have been manufactured by two different
routes.
Bespak is now ramping up manufacturing of Chiesi Farmaceutici's new
dry powder inhaler (DPI), in preparation for clinical trials of the
device in patients with asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease).
Chemicals firm Lonza has vowed to spend $200m (€160m) over the next
few years to expand in southern China, further limiting its
dependence on external suppliers of intermediates and active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
Thermo has unveiled a new blend measurement solution for the
real-time analysis of pharmaceutical blending processes in solid
dosage form manufacturing which can be easily moved from blender to
blender and used on any size pharmaceutical...
British catalyst technologies firm Reaxa has slashed the prices of
its encapsulated catalysts by two-thirds following increased demand
for production scale quantities in pharma applications.
Silicone product provider Busak and Shamban, showcased a variety of
solutions at this year's Interphex event, highlighting the
stringent demands made by the pharma industry are met by its range
of sealing and bearing products.
Invitrogen and Signalomics have agreed terms to develop
nanotechnology-based laboratory approaches to cancer diagnostics in
a move that is set to make the identification of tumours easier and
quicker.
Agilent Technologies has stepped out of its comfort zone to pursue
a new line of business in ribonucleic acid (RNA) production, with
the recent acquisition of SynPro.
As the threat of new viruses like avian influenza have heightened
the need for greater speed and safety in vaccine production, single
use technologies are proving far more safe and economic than
traditional cleaning techniques, according...
American Peptide Company (APC) has entered into a manufacturing
agreement with Affymax for the clinical supply of the first in its
pipeline of peptide-based drugs.
AppTec Laboratory Services has signed a new contract to manufacture
Chromos Molecular Systems's new multiple sclerosis (MS) drug for
pre-clinical safety and toxicology studies.
Contract manufacturing services provider Dowpharma, has signed a
collaboration agreement for its Pfenex Expression Technology, its
fourth agreement in 1Q 2006, signifying the technology's popularity
in developing new vaccines...
Nanoparticle product provider Microfluidics has used this year's
Interphex show to introduce products based on its Microfluidizer
processor technology, providing solutions for laboratory and
manufacturing applications that use...
BioTools Swiss has made available its new media preperator for the
laboratory automation industry, which claims to be the fastest
processor of readily dispensable agar/nutrient medium.
