German packaging company Klockner Pentaplast (KP) is investing more
than $20m (€15m) in a new pharmaceutical films manufacturing
facility in Aurangabad, India, in a bid to up its presence there.
Italian glassware specialist Stevanato Group has consolidated the
engineering side of its business through the acquisition of fellow
Italian company Optrel.
Active packaging specialist Multisorb Technologies is in the midst
of developing a new desiccant product that will offer a novel
built-in solution to producers of dry powder and metered dose
inhalers.
US diabetics will soon have a new alternative to the predominant
needle and syringe method of administering insulin, now that the
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted marketing approval
to Sanofi-Aventis' Lantus SoloStar.
Owens-Illinois, the US company best known as a manufacturer of
glass containers, has finalised a 50/50 joint venture with Pavisa
Industries to manufacture and sell plastic healthcare containers in
Mexico and other Latin markets.
A crop-based alternative to regular plastics that is biodegradeable
and compostable, developed by biotechnology firm Metabolix and
agriculture giant Archer Daniels Midland, is to be developed for
pharmaceutical applications.
Successful applications of cold-form film and security foil helped
the Pharma/Healthcare division of Austria's Constantia Packaging to
deliver above-average growth in 2006, the company reported.
Biotech giant Amgen has posted healthy results for the first
quarter following a positive performance by its blockbuster anaemia
drug Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa).
While technology cost and lack of a demonstrated return on
investment constitute the biggest barrier to adoption of radio
frequency identification (RFID) in the pharmaceutical industry, the
lack of a frequency standard runs these...
ATMI LifeSciences, a Belgian company that manufactures and supplies
film-based single-use packaging products for the biopharmaceutical
industry, has set up a joint venture, ATMI Austar LifeSciences,
Ltd, in the Shanghai area of China.
A new integrated dose counter is being launched this week by 3M's
drug delivery systems business, providing a new solution to recent
regulatory requirements for metered dose inhalers.
Switzerland's Bobst has introduced a new system for embossing
Braille characters on pharmaceutical packaging that moves the
process down the production line from die-cutting to the folding
and gluing stage.
Avant Immunotherapeutics will reduce its workforce by a third as
part of a "painful" restructuring aimed at cutting operational
costs, the US-based firm announced this week.
Genentech, the world's second biggest biotech company, has shown a
strong performance in the first quarter while its main rival Amgen
is trying to regain momentum after a difficult year.
The problem of drug tampering and counterfeiting came to the fore
again yesterday after it emerged that bottles of GlaxoSmithKline's
widely-used HIV drug Combivir (lamivudine and zidovudine) actually
contained another HIV drug...
Now is an ideal time for small biotechs to ink that perfect deal
with big pharma, attendees heard at the recently held Biotrinity
conference in Oxfordshire, UK.
The first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that
authenticates, encrypts data and monitors product
temperature hit the shelves last week, aimed specifically at
protecting the pharmaceutical supply chain.
IWKA, a German automation specialist that designs and builds
manufacturing and packaging systems, is selling its packaging
division to Berlin-based investment company Odewald & Compagnie
for around €255 million.
Becton Dickinson (BD) has extended its existing franchise in safety
injection products and insulin delivery technologies into the
safety pen needle market, with the US launch of the BD AutoShield
Pen Needle.
Swiss packaging-machine manufacturer Alphacos has launched a new
product to help protect healthcare workers using pre-filled
syringes against needlestick injuries.
A report this week suggests that enforced restrictions in pack size
for paracetamol (acetaminophen) in the UK may have had little or no
impact on reducing the number of paracetamol poisonings.
The demand for international assistance in recruitment processes
from pharmaceutical companies is set to boom in the next 12 months,
according to an industry player.
UK drug delivery and orthopaedic devices company The Medical House
(TMH) is entering the second phase of a development project for a
European defence agency involving its AutoSafety Injector (ASI)
disposable autoinjector technology...
Sanofi-Aventis is gearing up for the European roll-out of a new
disposable insulin pen designed to address a broader spectrum of
patient needs than currently available injection devices.
An innovative new platform technology with a myriad of applications
has been developed by a UK firm, and promises to be a novel arrow
in the quiver of the pharma industry in its attempts to shoot down
drug counterfeiters.
Packaging technology firm Bradman Lake is selling off recently
acquired brands Albro, Dico and Gravfil only months after investing
in a new multi-million pound manufacturing facility.
Novel needle-free injections that don't cause the pain and bruising
common with existing needle-free devices have been developed by a
team in California.
In-PharmaTechnologist takes an indepth look at the new radio
frequency identification (RFID) technology that will soon
revolutionise pharmaceutical supply chain management.
Adept Technology has introduced a ceiling-mounted version of its
s800 series Cobra robot. The inverted robot offers high-speed
packaging and assembly with a wider reach, while leaving a much
clearer working area.
Eli Lilly has come up with a new insulin pen with a digital display
that allows patients to record and review the time, date and dose
of the last 16 insulin shots.
Alpha Packaging has bought fellow US company Quality Container, a
specialist in plastic bottles for pharmaceutical and dietary
supplement products, for an undisclosed sum.
Using contractors to fulfil packaging needs can significantly
reduce the time new products take to hit the market, claimed Gareth
Lewis of Cardinal Health, speaking at SMi's Pharmaceutical
Packaging and Labelling conference in...
French firm Valois Pharma will be providing Generex with a novel
valve for its pressurised metered dose inhaler (pMDI), used for its
innovative method of buccal delivery of insulin.
Therapeutic drugs can now be smoked like cigarettes thanks to a
novel drug delivery device developed by new player Alexza
Pharmaceuticals. The inhaled drugs hit the bloodstream much quicker
than with other drug delivery techniques,...
Swedish packaging manufacturer Cerbo has developed a novel closure
for tablet bottles as a user-friendly alternative for those who
have limited dexterity in their hands and fingers.
A security technology that had been strictly limited to use by
governmental organisations is now available commercially, with
several major pharmaceutical manufacturers keen to snap up the
device and protect their supply chain....
A new inhaler with a child-friendly design aims to solve the
problem of dosage variance and patient compliance - key issues with
inhaled drug treatments for children.
