The fine chemicals business unit of Lanxess, which was spun-out
from Germany's Bayer earlier this year and provides custom
manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical and other industries,
has said it plans to expand its geographic...
The US Supreme Court's decision as to how much a patent can
restrict research conducted by another company is a question that
is certain to affect the way innovative new drugs are researched
and developed.
Former New York city mayor Rudi Giuliani has marched into the
political battle surrounding the issue of drug reimportation in the
US, saying that the trade 'poses a serious threat to safety due to
the increased prevalence of...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under fire of late for
an alleged failure to properly ensure prescription drug safety, set
out its stall at last week's Food and Drug Law Institute meeting,
saying that it is increasingly...
Ukraine's pharmaceutical market is growing fast, driven by both
imported products and the development of the local drug industry,
according to figures from the US Department of Commerce's BISNIS
service.
Schweizerhall is well on the way to completing its acquisition of
Cimex Pharma, and as a result completing the first stage of its
transition to become a specialist supplier to the European generics
industry, reports Phil Taylor.
Germany's Boehringer Ingelheim is claiming the number two spot
among the top 20 pharmaceutical companies for 2004 growth,
reporting double-digit gains for both revenues and operating
profit.
Injectable drug delivery specialist West Pharmaceutical Services
has develop a system of anticounterfeiting measures for its
Flip-Off seals, widely used for injectable drugs that are withdrawn
from vials by a syringe.
The world's number one drug company, Pfizer, yesterday announced
cost-cutting measures aimed at saving $4 billion (€3.1bn) by 2008,
as it faces a raft of patent expirations on its top drugs and
continued pressure on its painkiller...
India now has its sights firmly set on the biotechnology industry,
having already emerged as a dynamic new player in the global market
for chemical-based pharmaceuticals, reports Phil Taylor.
Shares in German group Altana advanced at the end of last week on
the re-emergence of rumours that it is planning to separate its
pharmaceuticals and chemicals businesses via a spin-out.
Rhodia is facing two separate investigations for alleged accounting
irregularities as well as insider trading, just as the financial
difficulties afflicting the French chemicals group have started to
abate.
Belgian company Solvay is to buy Fournier Pharma for up to €1.6bn
in a move that ties into the group's long-term strategy to boost
its activities in the pharmaceuticals sector, reports Phil
Taylor.
India's new patent law, that will prevent domestic pharmaceutical
manufacturers from making low-cost generic copies of in-patent
drugs - has finally been passed by the lower house of the country's
parliament, writes Phil...
The world's number one pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, is to close
a plant in Michigan, US, as part of a drive to reduce its global
manufacturing capacity.
Perrigo, a US manufacturer of nonprescription drugs and nutritional
products, has completed its acquisition of Agis Industries, the
second largest drug company in Israel, for $818m.
In France, sales of generic drugs are continuing to grow, helped by
a favourable regulatory regime and a wave of patent expiries on top
branded drugs, reports Phil Taylor.
As the US Food and Drug Administration continues its deliberations
on generic biopharmaceuticals, the industry body representing
generic drug manufacturers has said that the time has now come for
the agency to make some hard decisions,...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is gearing up to publish
its final guidance on the submission of pharmacogenomic data
alongside drug marketing applications, first disseminated in draft
form in 2003, reports Phil Taylor.
TASC Pharmaceuticals, which makes active pharmaceutical ingredients
(APIs), is to merge with fellow Indian company Glenmark
Laboratories, a specialist in formulations and biological drugs.
Efforts by Pakistan to build a pharmaceutical sector to rival that
of neighbouring India are being undermined by regulatory
interference, according to representatives of the domestic drug
industry.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is planning to lend around €40
million to Germany's Impfstoffwerk Dessau-Tornau - a developer and
contract manufacturer of pharmaceutical and veterinary medicines -
to help it build a new research...
Yesterday's headline suggesting that up to 1 in 7 drugs in the
global marketplace provided a timely reminder of the problem as the
second Global Forum on Pharmaceutical Anticounterfeiting gets
underway in Paris, France, today.
Pharmaceutical companies and governments are not doing enough to
combat the problem of drug counterfeiting, which is developing into
an international health crisis, claim researchers.
Two top drugstores in the US state of Florida are seeking an
exemption from legislation requiring a strict paper-based pedigree
for drugs throughout the supply chain, on the grounds that it is
too expensive to comply.
German chemicals giant BASF reported strong earnings increases
across the board yesterday, helped by pricing increases. The
companies activities in pharmaceuticals, part of its chemicals and
fine chemicals units, also did well, report...
The growth in the global pharmaceutical continued to slow in 2004,
with a 7 per cent hike to $550 billion, as the sector felt the
effects of increased pricing pressure and the expanding market for
lower-cost generic drugs, reports...
A recent report into salaries within the pharmaceutical industry
reveals that the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) is paid amongst the
lowest for all executives when compared to salaries paid to chief
executive officers (CEOs).
A second market research report has found evidence that production
capacity in the market for contract manufacturing of
biopharmaceuticals is now in excess, in contrast to the hitherto
prevailing wisdom that the sector has been suffering...
Swiss drugmaker Novartis has started construction of a $180 million
tabletting facility in Singapore, providing further evidence of the
emergence of the island state as a pharmaceutical hub.
A desire by pharmaceutical companies to concentrate their resources
on marketing products, rather than production and drug discovery,
will drive global revenues for contract manufacturing and research
to nearly $168bn (€128bn) by...
A high-ranking US Food and Drug Administration official has told a
Senate advisory committee that the agency needs more authority to
force drug companies to change labelling for their drugs when
safety issues arise, writes Phil Taylor.
The Netherlands has set up a programme to boost its biotechnology
sector by helping small and medium-sized biopharma firms to develop
and manufacture products, writes Phil Taylor.
Claims that allowing parallel trade in pharmaceuticals is opening
the door to counterfeiting and bioterrorists have been refuted by a
senior executive at Pfizer in testimony to the US Senate's Health,
Education, Labour and Pensions...
Japan's Chugai Pharmaceutical is planning to slash the number of
manufacturing plants it operates in Japan in the wake of its
alliance with Switzerland's Roche in 2002.
The rumours of a marriage between Japanese drugmakers Sankyo and
Daiichi Pharmaceutical were confirmed on Friday, when the two
companies officially announced their intention to merge in a stock
deal valued at around Y 813.0 billion...
Serologicals has continued its acquisitive streak, buying the cell
culture business Specialty Media from Sentigen Holding Corp, for
$6.5m (€4.9m) in cash. The unit will be integrated into
Serologicals' Chemicon subsidiary.
Rumours abound that Sankyo, Japan's second largest pharmaceutical
company, is in late-stage discussions with sixth-ranked Daiichi
Pharmaceuticals over a merger.
The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries in the 'new' EU
countries are rapidly expanding, presenting considerable potential,
although parallel imports remain a challenge.
The consolidation of the generic drugs industry continues, with
Novartis' unit Sandoz merging with two companies that will bring it
back into the number one position in the sector.
In-PharmaTechnologist.com presents a round up of personnel moves in
the pharmaceutical sector, including the executive line-up at
soon-to-be number one generics company Sandoz.
The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) has praised the Food
and Drug Administration for validating the science of generic
biopharmaceuticals and making significant progress in establishing
requirements to approve these medicines.
West Pharmaceutical Services, fresh from the disposal of its drug
delivery business, is to acquire Monarch Analytical Laboratories in
exchange for cash, assumed liabilities and shares totalling $5.6
million (€4.3m).
The top pharmaceutical companies are investing less money and
people in nanotechnology than other industries, despite pressure to
replace fading blockbuster drugs as fewer drugs come out of the
sector's R&D pipeline, according...
US officials attempted to restore the reputation of the
pharmaceutical industry by announcing plans to introduce an
independent board, which aims to monitor the safety of drugs on the
market.
Israeli drug and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) company
Teva has reported a sharp increase in sales in 2004, helped in part
by last year's $3.4bn (€2.6bn) acquisition of Sicor.
The UK education system is failing to provide sufficient high
calibre scientists needed for the research-based pharmaceutical
industry. The concern is that financial targets have meant
university science departments becoming increasingly...
The Indian pharmaceutical sector has begun its seismic shake-up
following the introduction of new laws granting patent protection
to medicines on 1 January.
A €10 million grant from the EU has allowed researchers throughout
Europe to advance their research in the field of 'biological
crystallography,' which aims to create precise, 3-D "architectural"
models of biological...
West Pharmaceutical Services has completed the sale of its drug
delivery operations to Archimedes Pharma, a newly formed UK company
backed by private equity house Warburg Pincus.