Researchers in the Netherlands say that a steroid drug formulated
in a lipid droplet and coated with a polymer seems to be more
effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis than the steroid on its
own.
A consortium of academic and industry researchers, headed by
scientists from French company genOway, has started development of
genetically-modified laboratory rats that can serve as models for
human diseases.
UCB has been awarded a US patent on a formulation technology that
could represent a low-cost means of achieving a difficult task -
making a drug that needs to be absorbed in the stomach suitable for
once-daily administration.
The French government has embarked on a fact-finding exercise to
try to work out ways it can address the country's diminishing
standing as a centre for biopharmaceutical R&D.
Scientists at the California Institute of Technology in the US have
developed a postage stamp-sized chip that can be used to carry out
many of the routine steps involved in isolating and purifying
nucleic acids from cells.
Since the sequencing of the human genome, there has been a lot of
attention paid to finding cellular factors that control gene
expression. Micro RNA (miRNA) - small sequences of 20-24
nucleotides that do not code for proteins - are...
Researchers at Harvard Medical School in the US have developed a
way to rapidly screen compounds for potential therapeutic activity
in diseases where current screening methods are limited.
The European Parliament has adopted new measures to control the
trade in two compounds used for both legitimate pharmaceutical
applications and the manufacture of illicit drugs, writes Phil
Taylor.
Sigma-Aldrich's fine chemicals unit is to distribute a
plant-produced recombinant aprotinin manufactured by US-based Large
Scale Biology Corporation, under a new agreement announced this
week.
BioProgress of the UK, which makes cellulose based films for
coating tablets and capsules, is planning to buy a company which
would provide a rapid route to increase production capacity in the
US, and also accelerate the development...
A once-daily version of a drug for attention deficit problems in
children - originally designed to avoid the stigma of having to
take medication during school hours - could also save lives on the
road, according to new research.
A new inhaled formulation of insulin that could do away with the
need for diabetics to inject themselves before meals has been filed
for approval in Europe by Aventis and Pfizer and the dossier
accepted by the European Medicines Evaluation...
Researchers at Max Planck Institute in Germany have used a
nano-sized imaging tool to capture the first-ever movies of cells
transmitting the messages that control genes. The breakthrough is
expected to help pharmaceutical companies...
A partnership between two US companies is aiming to exploit the
discovery that short pulses or bursts of antibiotic treatment are
more effective than continuous exposure in fighting bacterial
infections.
Microencapsulation specialist Micap has made its first foray into
the pharmaceutical sector after clinching a licensing deal with UK
drug delivery specialist SkyePharma.
Much animal research into potential human treatments is wasted
because it is poorly conducted and not thoroughly evaluated,
according to a commentary in the British Medical Journal (28
February).
Chemicals company Sigma-Aldrich is to build an $8 million (€6.5m)
laboratory-scale production facility for pharmaceuticals in
Hyderabad, India, that will act as a feeder site for its plants
elsewhere.
One of the hallmarks of cancer is that errors occur when the
chromosomes of cells divide and separate during cell division.
Researchers have spent many years trying to identify the cellular
mechanisms that are involved in keeping...
The European Commission has given Europe a boost in the field of
structural genomics, awarding the European Molecular Biology
Laboratory (EMBL) and its partners €10 million to create a common
platform for researchers working in the...
Asthma is now one of the world's most common long-term conditions,
according to figures released today during the World Asthma Meeting
in Bangkok, Thailand, and the UK has the highest rate in the world.
A series of new drugs to treat HIV infection which work in
different ways to available therapies are moving through clinical
trials, raising the hope that a new generation of antivirals is on
the horizon to treat resistant strains...
Scientists in South Korea have isolated stem cells from a cloned
human embryo for the first time, bringing the use of cell- or
tissuse-based therapies for treating disease a step nearer. But the
work has also re-ignited the controversy...
Italy's Defiante Farmaceutica is in negotiations with BioDelivery
Sciences International for the development of a new formulation of
aspirin that could cut the risks of side effects with the
painkiller.
BASF has claimed a first with the launch of a new pellet form of
triphenylphosphine (TPP), used in the production of active
pharmaceutical ingredients, that minimises dust and improves
handling and processing.
Aradigm has selected the final design configuration for its
Intraject needle-free drug delivery system, allowing the company to
press ahead with plans to commercialise the device.
Schering-Plough last week stopped enrollment in a Phase III trial
of its new anticancer agent, Sarasar (lonafarnib), after saying it
would not provide sufficient evidence of efficacy as a first-line
treatment for non-small cell lung...
Dutch drug delivery company OctoPlus will undergo a significant
change in 2004 as it completes its transformation from a
formulation services company to one firmly planted in drug
development.
The widely used vaccine adjuvant alum is not associated with an
increased risk of adverse events, despite fears to the contrary,
according to a new analysis. The study should allay patient fears
and help maintain immunisation rates...
It has the same name and the same active ingredient, but
GlaxoSmithKline claims to have significantly improved its migraine
treatment Imitrex (sumatriptan) with a new formulation that
dissolves rapidly in the stomach.
Israel-based Biodar, a subsidiary of food ingredient company
Lycored, has announced its acquisition of Karma Pharm in a
transaction that boosts its activities in pharmaceuticals.
Zambon has teamed up with fellow Italian company BioXell to develop
small molecule drugs that antagonise CXCR3, a chemokine receptor
protein which plays a key role in inflammatory diseases affecting
skin, joints as well as the respiratory...
It is no secret that India is becoming a major force in the world
market for active pharmaceutical ingredients, but recent
developments suggest that companies in the country may be gearing
up to play a similar role in inactive ingredients.
Solvay has doubled the output of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) at its
Solvay Interox industrial pilot plant in Povoa, Portugal, using a
new high-yield process.
Scientists at Switzerland's Roche have developed a small molecule
that interferes with the binding of p53 - a protein that blocks the
development of cancer - to its natural inhibitor. The discovery
could open the door to novel,...
The widely used food ingredient inulin could be a more effective
alternative to established excipients in stabilising protein-based
medicines and improving their shelf life, according to researchers
at the University of Groningen...
Researchers from Vertex Pharmaceuticals have identified the first
crystal structure of Flt-3, a member of the receptor tyrosine
kinase family that is implicated in the development and progression
of leukaemia, paving the way for the...
Manufacturers of pharmaceutical excipients that are imported into
the US must step up their compliance with new legislation or risk
having shipments turned back at the border.
The UK's Cambridge University has scrapped plans to build a primate
research centre to conduct research into neurological disorders
which caught the attention of the scientific press late last year.
Spanish manufacturer of choline salts Algry Quimica has signed
several new research agreements to develop active ingredients for
pharma and food applications.
A small US company has developed an encapsulation technology for
pharmaceuticals that promises to overcome a major healthcare
problem - deaths and illness caused by aspirin and other
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer Tetrionics is
planning to double the capacity at a facility in the US to hike its
ability to make highly potent compounds.
Germany's Wacker Specialties has signed an R&D agreement with
Finland's Prokaria to bolster its activities in chiral alcohols,
used as chemical building blocks by the pharmaceutical industry.
Last year, pharmaceutical companies from India submitted a third of
all the Drug Master Files for active pharma ingredients (APIs)
received in the US, outstripping their international rivals by a
wide margin.
German contract ingredient manufacturer Girindus posted its first
profit since it was floated on the stock exchange in 2000 in the
last quarter of 2003, as sales rose 16 per cent to €32 million.
Dr Reddy's Laboratories has developed a new class of therapeutic
that could make it the first pharmaceutical company in India to
develop a proprietary blockbuster product.
