France's BioProtein Technologies, a biotechnology company
specialising in the production of therapeutic proteins in the milk
of transgenic rabbits, has extended its biomanufacturing services
to include recombinant vaccine production.
Inamed has signed up Bayer BP for its computer-controlled AKITA
inhaler, designed to improve respiratory treatment by tailoring the
delivery of inhaled drugs.
Affymetrix releases into the public domain what it says is the
first significant SNP database that includes genotype data and
allele frequencies across the entire human genome.
Epigenomics and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute are to press
ahead with the first phase of the Human Epigenome Project following
the successful completion of a pilot study funded by the European
Union.
BioFocus has entered into an agreement with Switzerland's Roche for
the design of a several custom kinase libraries for use in the
latter's drug discovery efforts.
The British Pharmacopoeia 2003 is due to be available in the next
few days, and from today can be ordered online; updates have also
been released from the European equivalent.
The speakers at next month's Manufacturing Excellence Ireland
meeting, focusing on automation and control in the pharmaceutical
industry, have been announced.
Crucell has granted a license for its PER.C6 cell line technology
to Novavax, allowing the latter company to start offering contract
manufacturing services for vaccines.
GlaxoSmithKline has secured rights to a technology, developed in
partnership with US company Advaxis, could improve the
effectiveness of vaccine-based treatments for cancer.
Pall tells BIOPHEX/INTERPHEX conference that use of its
ultrafiltration technologies cuts both the time and cost of
conjugate vaccine production; greater adoption could increase the
availability of vaccines for diseases such as meningitis...
Dow Chemical has entered into an agreement to manufacture a
potential drug for cancer in transgenic plants. The deal, with
Sunol Molecular, covers production of the protein in plants and a
comparison with a version grown in mammalian...
The drug industry has largely discarded shellac as a film coating
for solid oral dosage forms in favour of synthetic resins, but this
may have been premature; a recently-issued US patent reveals that
shellac is a remarkably versatile...
Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and microscopy are emerging as
useful new tools for the detection of counterfeit medicines, to
complement their existing role in active ingredient detection and
process control.
Bristol-Myers Squibb has taken another step towards building a
franchise in insulin therapy by licensing an inhaled version of the
drug from QDose for $30m.
The notion that there is undercapacity in biomanufacturing has
become common wisdom, but a new study suggest that now supply and
demand are in balance.
Medical device multinational Guidant has paid $35 million (€32m) in
cash to acquire the rights to a polymer technology from MediVas for
use in its stent programme.
A process developed by Amersham has enabled Isis Pharmaceuticals to
produce the world's largest antisense oligonucleotide synthesis
scale per single run.
A new report from Best Practices provides a view of how the top
pharma firms manage their quality control to reduce manufacuring
costs and production time.
Transgenic plant technologies could lead to a revolution in vaccine
production and manufacture; should plant-based vaccines prove
effective in clinical trials, this will drive licensing activity
between key vaccine players and companies...
Clariant has announced plans to establish a Technology Centre in
Germany that will support the pharmaceutical industry in the
commercialisation of new drugs.
UK study finds sewage treatment is effective in removing
pharmaceutical and personal care product chemicals,although there
some facilities are better than others.
Needle-free injection systems are finally emerging as a serious
alternative to traditional syringes, despite first being introduced
in the middle of the last century.
The organisers of CORDIA EuropaBio 2003 have revealed the keynote
speakers for the 'largest convention in Europe for trade,
investment, partnership and information exchange'.
Swiss drugmaker Roche has succeeded in developing a crystalline
form of one of its pipeline compounds with the help of a US
company, TransForm Pharmaceuticals, that is applying a
high-throughput approach to form and formulation.
Germany's Schott Glas has been granted a US patent on a glass
container for storing medicines that incorporates an anti-adherent
coating on its inner surface.
Botanical drug specialist Phytopharm suffered a setback yesterday
when Pfizer withdrew from a collaboration to develop P57, a drug
for obesity and metabolic syndrome.
A UK programme aimed at identifying the environmental, health and
safety, ethical and societal implications of nanotechnology has
appointed a working group to oversee the effort.
Degussa has acquired a stake in a company specialising in ionic
liquids, an innovative technology that could provide a greener
alternative to commonly used volatile organic solvents in the
manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
Scientists have developed a way of making proteins in sugarcane
that they claim will be safe and less expensive than transgenic
approaches using animals.
Australian dairy farmers could become major suppliers of
pharmaceutical-grade lactose, if a new technology developed at the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation can be
exploited commercially.
Emisphere Technologies has demonstrated effective oral delivery of
protein-based drugs in three studies presented at the Controlled
Release Society's annual meeting.
LipoCore's Galacticle delivery technology is to be the subject of a
feasibility study at one of the largest multinational drug
manufacturers in the autumn
A deal with Vaccinex has taken Lonza Biologics beyond its primary
focus of mammalian cell culture-based manufacturing and into the
area of antibody drug discovery.
The shift towards full automation with ready-to-use separation
devices is the first step on the path to a completely disposable
manufacturing process, says Millipore
Ultrasound monitoring of process column chromatography can lead to
significant improvements in productivity, lower costs and greater
drug purity, says study
GlaxoSmithKline has opened an ultra-high-throughput screening
facility at its site in Tres Cantos, Spain, marking a significant
milestone in the company's bid to develop a more industrialised
approach to the process of drug discovery.
Centocor forged a deal with Biolex in which the latter firm will
examine the feasibility of producing three therapeutic proteins
using a proprietary plant-based expression system
MediGene is relocating the entire research department of its US
subsidiary to Germany, delighting those who lament the "brain
drain" of scientific talent flowing in the other direction
There has been a steady increase in the number of diabetes-related
R&D projects in recent years, and one area of particular
interest is the pulmonary delivery of insulin, says a new report
Switzerland's Novartis has been awarded a US patent for a novel
means of extending the shelf life of pharmaceuticals. The invention
describes the use of a plastic bottle made from a polymeric
material that is impregnated with...
Researchers in the USA have generated designer metal oxides with
specific surface properties that can be used as catalysts in the
manufacture of pharmaceuticals and chemicals
Avantium Technologies of the Netherlands, a specialist in
developing high throughput process R&D techniques for customers
in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, has been signed up
by Eastman Chemical for the discovery...
