Niro Pharma Systems is launching a new tablet coating system that
promises to achieve a step forward in the evenness of tablet
coating and make the production of small batches for R&D more
cost effective.
A subsidiary of Switzerland's Serono has filed a lawsuit alleging
that gene activation technology used in the production of
Transkaryotic Therapies' biological drugs contravenes a US patent.
Rhodia Pharma Solutions' Chambers Works facility in New Jersey is
now up and running. The company supplies preclinical and clinical
trial materials and launch volumes of active pharmaceutical
ingredients (APIs) and intermediates...
Akzo Nobel has unveiled a plan to 'fix' its troubled
pharmaceuticals businesses, hit by patent expirations, safety
concerns with some core product lines and a difficult operating
environment for contract manufacturing of...
Labtronics has launched the latest addition to its Nexxis LAB suite
of products, promising complete automation to a whole host of
manual procedures as well as security features that make it ideally
suited to the controlled pharmaceutical...
Waters has started shipping its new 'ultra performance liquid
chromatography' (UPLC) system AcQuity, first introduced to the
laboratory sector at the Pittcon exhibition earlier this year and
the winner of the gold award...
A new unit operating at Clariant Pharmaceuticals in Germany will
boost the company's activities in the emerging field of
microreactor technology for the production of pharmaceutical
intermediates and active pharmaceutical ingredients...
Netherlands firm Pharming has acquired the patent portfolio of
former transgenic protein production specialist PPL Therapeutics,
at a stroke enhancing its proprietary position in this emerging
market.
New legislation handed down by the European Union is having an
impact on suppliers of laboratory equipment that includes
electrical or electronic components, reports Phil Taylor.
The taxane class of cancer drugs has established itself as a
mainstay in the treatment of a range of solid tumours, but to date
there are still only two of these compounds on the market.
WR Grace subsidiary The Separations Group has acquired Alltech
International in a move that raises its standing in the manufacture
and supply of chromatography products even further.
Canada's Chromos Molecular Systems has entered into a collaborative
agreement with Centocor, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson &
Johnson, to develop cell lines for the manufacture of biological
drugs.
Catalyst company Chiral Quest has launched a new product,
C3-TunePhos, designed for use in the synthesis of a range of drugs,
including the cholesterol-lowering statin class.
Elchrom Scientific introduces a novel purification technology
enabling a greater yield of ultra pure siRNA synthetic
oligonucleotides at a faster turn around rate, rapidly increasing
siRNA oligonucleotides (oligos) quantity required...
Mettler Toledo, the world's largest manufacturer of weighing
instruments, has reported a healthy 8 per cent hike in sales for
the first half of 2004, helped by favourable currency factors.
In the wake of the divestment of its Dynamit Nobel chemicals
businesses, mg technologies of Germany has reported a modest
increase in sales for the first half of the year, helped by a good
performance from its GEA subsidiary.
Calling the next six months 'a critical period', the US Food and
Drug Administration's Acting Commissioner Lester Crawford has
unveiled a lengthy list of agency priorities, including continued
work on Good Manufacturing...
Cobra Biomanufacturing has received approval from the UK regulatory
authorities for its new clinical trial manufacturing facilities in
Oxford as well as its established unit in Keele.
Building on a stronger start to the year, Germany's third largest
chemicals group reports continued growth into the second quarter
with an increase in demand pushing up sales and earnings.
US company STERIS has achieved a significant breakthrough in
aseptic processing with the development of a method for
inactivating prions, the tiny, protein particles that cause
diseases such as CJD disease in humans.
Sensitech of the US has made another foray into the European market
for cold chain monitoring technologies with the acquisition of
Netherlands-based Temperature Data Systems.
Varian has introduced a mobile washing station that can clean
pharmaceutical dissolution vessels in place, reducing the time it
takes to carry out the process and reducing the risk of expensive
breakages.
A US biophysicist has won an award for developing a new process
that simplifies the production of proteins in the widely used T7
gene expression system.
A novel approach to treating tuberculosis (TB), focusing on a
potential drug target in the cell walls of Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, a disease that is
reappearing as new, multiresistant drug-strains.
Switzerland's Lonza Group said yesterday that it will use a novel
process developed by US-based biocatalysis company Codexis for the
synthesis of a key chiral pharmaceutical compound used in one of
the world's major human...
Avecia has launched a new precious metal scavenging resin, designed
to minimise metal loss and pollution in processing as well as
residual metal contamination of a product or intermediates.
Pharmaceutical instrument supplier Argonaut has introduced the
Isolute PPT+ protein precipitation plates, created with the
intention of accelerating drug research and development.
US biotechnology company Invitrogen reported record second-quarter
revenue but warned that top-line growth for the rest of 2004 would
be less than expected, citing an increasingly competitive business
environment.
Pressure on pharma ingredient supplier Lonza has continued into the
first half of the year, with consistently low use of custom
manufacturing capacity and weak demand for biomanufacturing
contributing to a 37 per cent drop in operating...
Chiral Quest has forged an alliance with DSM to accelerate the
take-up of its catalysis products, used in the synthesis of
chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
Last week's International Conference on AIDS in Thailand was marked
by a report that pointed to a dearth of innovation in HIV vaccine
research, both from the manufacturing perspective and in terms of
the mechanism of action of...
Sartorius, a German manufacturer of laboratory equipment, is
considering a possible initial public offering for its
biotechnology unit Vivascience in the second half of this year,
according to local press reports.
Swiss fine chemicals company Siegfried has been insulated from the
general downturn in the chemicals industry, but has finally
succumbed and been forced to lose staff and cut back production,
writes Phil Taylor.
Dutch pharmaceuticals and chemicals group Akzo Nobel has reported a
small decline in sales in the first half of the year, although the
cost of ongoing restructuring caused net earnings to slump by
nearly a quarter to €245 million.
Global efforts to develop a vaccine to treat HIV infection could be
derailed because investigators have not considered manufacturing
processes in the design of their candidates.
Swiss chemicals group Clariant, currently in the throes of a major
restructuring exercise, has sold off its UK-based Lancaster
Synthesis unit to Johnson Matthey.
Strahman Valves of the US has expanded its product line and
increased its presence in Europe with the acquisition of MG Process
Valves. Both companies market a range of valves for the
pharmaceutical and other process industries.
Lonza Biologics has licensed rights its proprietary CHOK1SV cell
line to Canadian firm Chromos Molecular Systems for a project aimed
at making improved mammalian cells for biological syntheses.
Codexis has appointed a new head of biocatalysis and chemical
development, shoring up its expertise in what is a small but
fast-growing area of the catalysts market.
Sun Pharma of India has announced plans to buy an ailing
cephalosporin bulk active company, Phlox Pharma, to gain access to
an internationally approved generic active pharmaceutical
ingredient.
Oxford BiomMedica has entered into a partnership with a US company
to try to overcome the primary obstacles to producing recombinant
proteins in eggs, the low level of expression of the gene
transcript coding for the target protein...
Contract research manufacturer Diosynth has forged a joint venture
with a Swiss firm for a technology that could dramatically reduce
the time and cost of developing new cell lines for manufacturing
proteins, writes Phil Taylor.
Bolidt Synthetic Products and Systems of the Netherlands has
launched a new synthetic flooring finish designed specifically to
cope with aggressive chemical and pharmaceutical production
environments.
NovAseptic has upgraded its NovaSeptum range of disposable samplers
to reduce the level of endotoxins to a level that falls well within
strict new guidelines set down by the European Pharmacopoeia.
