A new potential diabetes drug from Dia-B Tech, which is based on a
naturally occurring peptide consisting of four amino acids,
promises convenience and fewer side effects over current day
treatments for type 2 diabetes.
Cargill says it has agreed to acquire The Dow Chemical Company's
interest in Cargill Dow LLC, the 50/50 joint venture formed in 1997
to commercialise polylactic acid biopolymers.
Regulatory action on the COX-2 inhibitors was still a possibility
as the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products
for Human Use (CHMP) held hearings with Pfizer, Merck Sharp &
Dohme and Novartis regarding...
UK packaging equipment supplier Isopak has introduced an all-in-one
system designed to eliminate the difficulties of handling and
packing pharmaceuticals, foods and cosmetics in sachets.
Scientists researching pharmaceutical treatments for Parkinson's
disease are invited to submit study information to a new patient
website, which is intended to improve access to information on
Parkinson's clinical trials,...
Ampac Packaging is continuing its acquisitive spree into 2005 with
the purchase of Flexicon, a maker of flexible packaging materials
for the pharmaceutical, medical and other industries.
Applied DNA Sciences, a specialist in the use of DNA as a security
and anti-counterfeiting technology, is to work with the US
Department of Energy to develop an improved process for identifying
its marker technology that should bring...
A new report suggests that recent safety concerns over certain
blockbuster drugs, notably Merck's Vioxx (rofecoxib) and Pfizer's
Celebrex (celecoxib), has placed the COX-2 inhibitor drug class
under intense scrutiny and...
The need for an effective HIV drug became apparent as the US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track designation to the
first in a new class of HIV drugs called Maturation Inhibitors.
World demand for packaging machinery is projected to rise over 4
per cent per year (including price increases) through 2008 to over
$31 billion, with developing nations expected to register the
strongest market gains, according to...
Franklin Miller has launched a shredding system designed for the
efficient destruction of pharmaceutical materials, making it easier
for drug companies, distributors or wholesalers sitting on a pile
of expired medicines to dispose...
US company NanoInk, which has pioneered the dip pen nanolithography
process which can provde nanoscale printing, is reportedly working
with the manufacturer of a blockbuster drug to trial the encoding
of unit doses of the product...
ForHealth Technologies has started production of its flagship
robotic intravenous drug compounding device through contract
manufacturer Delphi Medical Systems.
Tekni-Films, part of the Tekni-Plex group, has introduced a new
blister package modeling system to support pharmaceutical
manufacturers in the development of packaging for oral solid dosage
forms.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has announced the submission of a global
registration dossier for its investigational antibiotic Tygacil
(tigecycline), a new class of treatment for intra-abdominal and
skin infections.
Researchers at the University of Derby in the UK are appealing for
industrial partners to join their research programme into tackling
problems associated with misleading medicine labels, difficult drug
names and package designs.
German packaging machinery company Groninger & Co has bought a
new computer-aided design software package that it says will enable
it to meet the demands of its customers more closely.
US packaging giant MeadWestvaco has made progress in its
collaboration with Cypak, a Swedish company specialising in the
development of 'smart' packaging.
In the US, New Jersey Packaging has acquired Altwood Roll Label,
which supplies flexible packaging, inserts and labels to the
pharmaceutical and healthcare sector.
Flint Ink North America has announced a price increase for
packaging ink products ranging from 5 to 7 per cent depending on
ink type. The increase, effective 1 December 2004, comes in
response to the rising costs of transportation,...
The UK Packaging and Industrial Films Association (PIFA) is warning
buyers of plastic film products to expect further price increases
as producers and converters are forced to look for recovery of
exceptional rising raw material costs....
Avery Dennison, one of the world's largest suppliers of pressure
sensitive adhesive labels, is expecting to be fined by the European
Commission for what it describes as 'instances of improper conduct'
by workers in...
As the pharmaceutical industry gears up to use radiofrequency
identification for supply chain management, medical suppliers in
Germany have already adopted the technology to track blood products
and no plan to use it safeguard quality.
The top two pharmaceutical companies have signaled their commitment
to the adoption of radiofrequency identification (RFID) and
electronic product code (EPC) technologies in the battle against
counterfeit drugs.
The pharmaceutical industry is doing little to help people with
impaired or partial sight get information from drug labels,
according to a new study which found a font change could alleviate
the issue.
Plastics are featuring more often in the packaging of healthcare
products, including pharmaceuticals, and this will drive a 28 per
cent increase in the volume of plastic resins used between now and
2009 in North America.
Active-Pak Automation claims that companies installing its
dessicant sachet dispensing systems can achieve cost savings of up
to 40 per cent compared to systems based on canisters, offsetting
the capital costs of installing the machinery.
Borealis has developed new advanced Borseal terpolymers to improve
biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP), a raw material used in
clear film packaging.
A new study has revealed that a commonly used asthma medication
lost more than half its potency after being kept for just four
hours in conditions akin to a mailbox on a hot day. This raises
questions about the efficacy of mail-order...
Printing solutions specialist Zebra Technologies, a specialist in
radio frequency identification (RFID) labels, has launched two new
UHF (ultra high frequency) EPC (electronic product code) multi-
protocol printer/encoders, the Zebra...
RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics to combat human illnesses such
as Huntingdon's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and
hepatitis C are set to fuel the rapid growth in the RNAi research
product market over the next year.
The budget committee of Italy's Lower House of Parliament has
approved a plan by the opposition to require the national medicines
agency, the AIFA, to draw up a method of establishing 'optimal'
packaging for drugs to...
The shrink sleeve label is a staple of the food and beverage
industry, but has not been widely adopted for pharmaceutical use.
However, this could change as the technology has child-resistance
properties that could be of value in...
US drug giant Pfizer, has signed a license agreement to market a
specific class of non-hormonal drugs to treat the hot flushes
associated with menopause. The new drug,currently in development,
is set to become the first of its kind...
Pharmasset of the US could receive funding of $168 million
(€131.8m) in upfront and milestone payments - with the prospect of
receiving more - after licensing its preclinical hepatitis C drug
programme to Swiss drug giant Roche.
Sun Chemical has increased the price of all packaging inks and
coatings by three to seven per cent this month, blaming rising
petrochemical costs that could affect the entire packaging industry
for the next couple of years.
A pilot study organised by Accenture to explore the value of
implementing radiofrequency identification (RFID) and electronic
product code (EPC) technology in the pharmaceutical industry has
concluded that there are numerous benefits.
Regen Therapeutics (ReGen) announced it had entered into an
agreement to acquire Guildford Clinical Pharmacology Unit Limited
(GCPUL) confirming its strategy to develop its medical service
revenue generating business and developing...
Finnish packaging giant Huhtamaki has reported flat sales figures
in the third quarter of 2004 due to adverse currency translations
and high raw material costs.
Drug company Merck, has presented data this week showing its latest
arthrirtis drug, Arcoxia, a treatment in the same class as its
recently withdrawn Vioxx, displays no significant difference in the
number of serious side effects...
Ciba has launched a number of innovative products for the plastics
industry including environmentally friendly additives designed to
increase the lifespan of plastic.
Pfizer has called on the services of an Australian technology
company to create a metallised packaging for its Sudafed brand of
cough/cold products that does not come with an environmental price
tag.
A new biotechnology company - Peakadilly - has been set up in
Belgium to provide molecular diagnostic tools to guide the
development of new drugs. The company maintains that the tools will
make drug development more efficient, effective...
Rexam, which makes pharmaceutical packaging and is also the world's
largest manufacturer of aluminium cans, has sacked chief executive
Stefan Angwald after just five months on the job.
Hueck Folien, one of the largest European foil converters in the
flexible packaging sector, has introduced an aluminium lidding foil
which is sealable against Aclar, a widely used material in blister
films.
Giving patients control of analgesic medications through the use of
controllable pumps improves pain relief, but raises the risk of
harm more than 3.5 times, according to the US Pharmacopeia's Centre
for the Advancement of Patient...
