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.
France-based Rexam Pharma is gearing up to launch a safety add-on
device that fits on to prefilled syringes to help drugmakers comply
with recent legislations designed to prevent needlestick injuries.
Packaging giant Rexam has fixed a radio frequency identification
(RFID) chip in pharmaceutical bottles in response to Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) recommendations to make use of the technology
to track products through the supply...
Rexam has introduced two new desiccant caps - Evipharm &
Secupharm - that use a filled in-line silica gel as a desiccant to
improve shelf life of the drug.
The world's largest glass container manufacturer is considering
hiving off its plastics packaging business as it reviews strategic
options for the division.
A new radio frequency identification (RFID) chip has been developed
by Pliant and IBM that can not only track drug products through the
supply chain but also identify when a product has been tampered
with.
Radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag adoption will be hampered
by a lack of a skilled labour force that is adequately trained to
handle this new technology, research reveals.
US drug packaging manufacturer Brady has bought a Brazilian label
maker in a bid to expand its operations not only in Brazil but
throughout Latin America - an area considered by analysts to have a
great business potential.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has decided against
restricting the use of drug-eluting cardiac stents after a two-day
investigation into their potential to increase blood clots.
Packaging maker Alcan has announced it will invest $27.5m (€20.7m)
for an expansion project in its US pharma centre to meet the
growing demand for pharmaceutical flexible packaging materials.
A US research company has published a report placing clamshell
style packaging as the forerunner in the burgeoning high visibility
packaging industry, with blister packs also on the increase.
Cardinal Health, the leading contract manufacturer for the
pharmaceutical industry, has announced its plans to sell its drug
manufacturing and packaging unit in order to focus on its
health-care business.
Packaging maker Owens-Illinois (O-I) and RFID provider Impinj say
they have demonstrated 100 per cent reliability of radiofrequency
identification (RFID) for pharmaceuticals in an item-level live
demonstration.
DataLase has revealed a novel labelling tape that it claims is a
cost-effective replacement for print-and-apply labels for outer
case secondary pharma packaging.
Canada's Alcan is selling its New Jersey-based lab equipment
business to private equity company River Associates Investments in
order to focus on its core competencies.
The contract packaging biz is moving from an ad-hoc to a more
strategically determined, long-term approach, as pharma companies
begin to relax in the arms of service providers.
Gerresheimer has announced it will launch a new plastic syringe
range in January to cater for highly-sensitive medications and also
for high-volume injections.
According to a new study the European cardiovascular drugs market
is expected to reach $36.3bn (€28.9bn) in 2012, buoyed on by new
drug areas, classes and combination products.
A new dry powder inhaler that may cost less than a syringe and
deliver 40 per cent more active drug than current inhalers has been
unveiled by its maker, Cambridge Consultants.
The pharmaceutical sector will have a major influence on how the
integration of RFID technology is spread across other industries,
according to research firm Venture Development Corporation (VDC).
Lexicon Genetics has revealed details of the preclinical
development of a novel, orally available small molecule compound
with potential application in the treatment of autoimmune diseases
such as multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid...
Dragon International Group has launched two new packaging products
developed through the use of nanotechnologies that could
potentially replace the currently used packaging on the market such
as plastic and PVC.
Injection molder and contract manufacturer Tech Group is relocating
its Grand Rapids plant to a new molding facility in nearby Walker,
Michigan, which will be expanded to cope with the high demand for
medical devices and components.
In a deal worth up to $19.9m (€15.6m), US drug delivery company
Inyx has acquired contract pharmaceutical packaging firm Pharmapac,
seeking to enhance its secondary-packaging capabilities for a wide
range of dosage forms.
Germany-based drug packaging provider Gerresheimer has launched a
new closure system for tablet containers with a moisture-absorbing
system that it claims is unique in the market.
The pharma industry's leading radio frequency identification (RFID)
vendors recently gathered to share expertise and evaluate the
potential of their RFID technologies in a living laboratory, in
their quest to produce a market...
Software firm Ross Systems and supply chain company SupplyScape
have announced a partnership to provide a software solution that
allows pharmaceutical manufacturers to track their product through
the supply chain, meeting regulatory...
Automation equipment provider Contax has increased productivity and
efficiency in one of AstraZeneca's packaging lines by installing a
new specialist conveyor.
Bilcare, India's largest research-based pharmaceuticals packaging
company, has bought UK-based clinical trials services (CTS)
provider DHP in a bid to build itself up to be one of the few
players in this sector with global servicing...
Although pharmaceutical distributors may be reluctant to integrate
radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology into their supply
chain infrastracture, manufacturers are pushing RFID by holding
distributors accountable for errors...
AstraZeneca have entered a deal with drug delivery device service
provider Bang & Olufsen Medicom to develop a new electronic
monitor that can tell whether patients are correctly taking their
medication or not.
New workflow technology can go a long way in ensuring security and
traceability of data transfer prior to print in the pharmaceutical
industry, avoiding errors that can potentially lead to
life-threatening misinformation.
India's Essel Propack, the largest speciality packaging company in
the world, is acquiring Packaging India Private Limited (PIPL) from
the CavinKare Group, keen to capture more of the country's booming
pharmaceutical packaging...
European parliamentarians have come up with a long list of measures
that the EU needs to take to combat counterfeit drugs, yet track
and trace technologies were noticeably absent from their calls for
action.
The world's most prescribed product for chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD) could soon be formulated with a new
propellant-free device following an observational study on a soft
mist inhaler (SMI) that Boehringer Ingelheim...
The market for radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags in
healthcare is set to explode from $90m (€70m) in 2006 to $2.1bn in
2016, driven by the item level tagging of drugs and the growing
appeal of "smart packaging."
The recovery that has taken packaging and processing machinery
company IMA to profitability in 2006 has continued, helped by new
opportunities in the biotech sector and a strong growth in
generics.
Rexam, the world's largest beverage can maker, has bought Indian
pharmaceutical packaging firm Truepack for £5m (€7.3m), hungry for
a slice of the country's growing pharma market.
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...
US manufacturers must stop shipping prescription drugs in bulk
containers, leaving pharmacies to repackage them, as this practice
makes the supply chain more vulnerable and leads to medication
errors, the Healthcare Compliance Packaging...
IBM has unveiled a radio frequency identification (RFID) system for
the tracking and tracing of pharmaceuticals, confident it will
accelerate the adoption of the technology by the drug industry.