Novartis has been keen to shout about data published this week in
the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
that backs up claims that it has developed the first vaccine to
protect infants against the most common meningitis...
A starch-based film coating for nutraceuticals which can be
tailored to manufacturer's needs is being developed through a
strategic partnership by Roquette and Biogrund.
A team of US researchers have uncovered a cocktail of three drugs
that could be effective at treating every patient with a particular
type of brain cancer that typically has a dismal prognosis.
France-based Flamel Technologies and Merck Serono have shook hands
on a new €2m ($2.9m) deal which would see Flamel's Medusa
technology used to develop an extended-release profile of an
undisclosed therapeutic protein.
UK-based William Ransom & Son has a shaky future ahead
following a disappointing and unacceptable six-month financial
report, compounded by a suspension of the companys manufacturing
license.
Scientists have discovered a potential new drug target that will prick up the ears of sportsmen and athletes alike. Not that this is an performance-enhancing drug; instead, it could help athletes recover from injury more quickly.
Siegfried has signed a $27.7m contract with Arena Pharmaceuticals
to manufacture Arena's Phase III oral obesity drug candidate
lorcaserin hydrochloride.
The first steps in tightening the safety controls on the
pharmaceutical ingredients imported to the US from China have been
taken following months of negotiations between the regulatory
bodies of the two countries.
Microscopy expert-Carl Zeiss has licensed a new fluorescence
microscopy technique that enables scientists to determine the
precise intracellular location of proteins of interest.
Abbott is to shut its doors on its Galway, Ireland, facility -
taking 500 jobs with it - as the market moves into murky waters
over the future of vascular stents.
Canadian researchers have devised a method of extracting the
complete proton NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectra for a
component of a mixture without the need for physical separation.
Cisbio has licensed BellBrook Labs' ADP immunodetection technology
for use in its HTRF screening system that will enable researchers
to study the activity of any protein kinase.
Scientists have discovered that a protein called cystatin C can
prevent damaging Alzheimer's plaques from forming by keeping their
constituent protein water soluble.
Researchers at Randox, UK, have developed a biochip that enables
the simultaneous measurement of 12 human cytokines from human serum
samples enabling cytokine studies to be conducted faster.
The Enterion capsule is quickly becoming big pharma's new best
friend as the technology helps drug companies assess the
feasibility of oral modified release formulations.
Contract pharmaceutical development company Azopharma has carved
out its drug delivery segment into a new company, APIcross Drug
Delivery Technologies.
Hungarian pharma Gedeon Richter has announced plans to combine with
Polish firm Polpharma to create a major presence in Central Eastern
Europe (CEE) through a share deal worth HUF231bn ($1.3bn).
Nanogen has decided to pull the plug on its microarray business
after not finding any 'financially meaningful opportunities' for
it, reducing staff by 20 per cent in the process.
As of next year Chinese pharmaceutical manufacturers will face a
tougher time gaining good manufacturing practice (GMP)
certification after the country's regulator signalled new and
stricter standards were on the way.
Procter & Gamble (P&G) has this week terminated an
agreement with Nastech to develop a nasally delivered version of
Eli Lilly's osteoporosis drug Forteo (teriparatide), leaving its
partner with no explanation for the...
A new Belgian company has joined the throng of pharmas tapping into
the booming drug delivery business, but claims that its unique
technologies will carve it a place as one of the industry's key
players.
Swiss firm Novartis today announced that it has contacted
regulators regarding the safety of the 100mg dose of its recently
approved Type II diabetes drug, Galvus (vildagliptin).
Tecan and GE Healthcare Life Sciences division are collaborating to
simplify high throughput (HT) protein purification by increasing
the speed and reliability of expression screening programmes.
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Fabre-Kramer Pharmaceuticals (FKP) were
dealt a blow last week as their potential first in class,
once-daily antidepressant treatment received another thumbs down
from US regulators.
GPC Biotech has met another obstacle in its path towards
satraplatin approval after the German company announced
disappointing and unexpected results in its Phase III trial.
SCOLR Pharma has initiated the first of three pivotal trials to
evaluate its extended release ibuprofen tablet, with hopes that it
will be the first and only 12-hour formulation on the market.
A nifty spray-on solution could make all the difference for men
plagued with the problem of climaxing too soon, as the product
makes its final thrust in clinical development.
Bayer Schering Pharma this week announced that it has scrapped
plans to introduce a double-dose version of its top-selling
multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Betaferon (interferon beta-1b) by the
end of the year following disappointing...
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has been swift in implementing its plant
cuts, already announcing the first sites to be axed mere hours
after revealing its restructuring plans.
The race is on between cervical cancer vaccines Gardasil and
Cervarix as they begin to battle it out to win a more than £100m a
year supply contract with the UK Department of Health.
Indian generics specialist Wockhardt is continuing its drive to
strengthen its foothold in the US market, snapping up US firm
Morton Grove Pharmaceuticals.
Scanning probe microscope (SPM) maker, JPK Instruments has been
named as Germany's fastest growing nanotechnology company in
accounting firm Deloitte's 'Technology Fast 50'.
