Amcor Flexibles has launched a new tear open feature for foil drug
packaging that it claims is both child resistant and senior
friendly and cheaper to make than current methods.
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has given Sanofi Pasteur the
green light to market a childhood vaccine containing Delta's
Recombumin, a recombinant human albumin which offers the world's
first and only animal-free alternative...
Phosphagenics is constructing a new tocopheryl phosphates
manufacturing plant in Melbourne, Australia - a project that paves
the way for future licensing agreements and could encourage the use
of its technology in more nutraceutical...
French separations specialist Novasep has launched two new
chromatography systems, promising new levels of efficency in
preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).
A new polymer drug delivery technology developed by Dutch firm
OctoPlus has cleared Phase I trials for the first time, showing
promise in a new controlled release treatment of chronic hepatitis
C.
Abraxis Bioscience has added a research facility to expand the
company's research and process development capabilities that use
the company's nab technology platform, which identifies new
chemical entities and exploitation...
General Electric and MDS Pharma Services announced today the
availability of a new, automated in vitro micronucleus assay that
will form part of a broad panel of drug discovery safety
assessments offered by MDS Pharma Services pharmacology...
Specialty chemicals group H&R Wasag witnessed tremendous growth
in the first quarter of 2006, as stable crude oil prices allowed it
to increase prices and volumes in the pharmaceutical raw materials
it sells.
Cambridge Antibody Technology (CAT) posted a first-half profit for
the year that was attributed to royalty payments for its Humira
rheumatoid arthritis drug.
Contract biomanufacturing firm Laureate has won a contract to
produce Seattle Genetics' humanised monoclonal antibody product
candidates for clinical trial, adding to its experience in
monoclonal antibody development.
Lonza has been authorised by the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to produce Bristol-Myers Squibb's arthritis drug Orencia
(abatacept), in what is shaping up to be a major manufacturing deal
for the Swiss company.
German biopharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has clinched
a licencing deal for XstalBio's formulation and stabilisation
technology which can be applied to the delivery of biomolecules via
a number of routes, including...
Private US biosciences company Codexis has acquired the assets of
private Dutch company Enzis. Included in the deal are the patents
to several new classes of enzymes that Codexis will use to develop
cheaper and faster drug manufacturing...
The boom in advanced drug delivery devices is creating demand for
specialist manufacturers that can rise to the challenge of making
these complicated devices, although such companies are currently
thin on the ground.
Vandalia Research has launched a new DNA amplification service that
it claims will speed up the mass production of high-quality DNA
sequences with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), while at the
same time reducing the risk of contamination.
The laboratory identification of promising candidates for new
anti-cancer drugs is to be made significantly easier after
scientists developed a litmus test that determines the bonding
strength of DNA, small molecules and proteins...
Kendle has seized a chance to expand and diversify its business,
snapping up the Phase II-IV Clinical Services unit of Charles River
Laboratories after it decided to get out of this area of clinical
trial services and focus instead...
Skyepharma has finally found a partner to license and market its
new asthma drug delivery product after over a year of searching and
one big-pharma partnership that went belly up in 2005 - giving the
company new hope of revamping...
Biophage has completed the final phase of its CRO business
restructuring in preparation to meet the expected demand in
immunotoxicity testing, in which its requirement stems from
increasing legislation that calls for stricter standards.
A new drug discovery technique, which uses mixed-mode sorbents in
process chromatography, has the potential to significantly reduce
costs and environmental burdens, especially in the protein
purification process.
US scientists have uncovered a mechanism of action that explains
how cells respond to DNA damage and other stresses that if
disrupted can cause cancer. The discovery could lead to new
diagnostic markers and cancer treatments with...
Pfizer has sold a large manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico to
biopharmaceutical firm Abraxis for $32.5m (€25.4m), as it continues
to consolidate its manufacturing operations.
As it prepares for the launch of GlaxoSmithKline's beta-blocker
Coreg (carvedilol) with a controlled release formulation, drug
delivery company Flamel saw its bottom line, in the absence of new
partners, shift deep into the red...
Global packaging giant MeadWestvaco has acquired Saint-Gobain
Calmar, a manufacturer of plastic dispensing and spraying systems,
looking to establish a solid footing in primary packaging.
A team of drug researchers are exploring the possibility of
extracting chemical compounds from marine organisms that live in
deep-sea reefs, which have the potential to treat human diseases
such as cancer and Alzheimer's.
The World Health Organisation is calling for greater transparency
in clinical trials by announcing new registration standards for all
medical research involving humans.
Biopharmaceutical firm Oragenics has received funding from a US
government agency for a technology which promises cost-effective
production of commercially important bioactive peptides with
unusual structures.
A potential therapy, which specifically targets cancer cells, could
be in the offering after Neotropix received FDA approval to begin
clinical trials of a drug candidate that offers new drug treatment
hope for advanced cancers.
Software provider Pharsight, has been awarded a patent on its
graphical method for creating drug models, in a technique that
supports more intuitive PK/PD modelling and higher modelling
productivity.
Oxford University has made another trip to the High Court with the
intention of further limiting the number of animal rights protests,
which the institution claim is responsible for an increase in
criminal damage and staff intimidation.
US scientists have discovered a way to improve the effectiveness of
antisense cancer drugs that involve using gold nanoparticles, which
when combined with DNA, outperform conventional antisense agents.
Researchers, who believe they have discovered only the third
entirely new antibiotic developed in the last four decades, have
developed an antibiotic, which targets microorganisms that include
MRSA.
The market for smart pharma packaging will grow to $1.7bn (€1.3bn)
in 2013 from the current $21m, driven by the need for new clinical
trial compliance-and brand protection measures, according to a new
forecast report.
Following disappointing financial results in 2005, Italian
packaging group IMA has swung into profit in the first quarter of
2006 from a loss in the first quarter of 2005, buoyed by an upswing
in orders from the pharmaceutical industry.
Cardinal Health has taken the contract manufacturing crown after
being honoured with a prestigious award from Frost & Sullivan
in recognition of its ability to provide biopharma firms with a
high quality service, while still remaining...
Scientists seeking new ways to produce Roche's flu drug Tamiflu
(oseltamivir) have published two new syntheses based on cheaper
starting materials than the conventional method.
Covance has stepped up its laboratory testing capabilities in the
Asia Pacific region to satisfy the growing number of sponsors
conducting clinical studies in this budding location.
A novel lab technique, which involves RNA interference to silence
genes in immune cells, is set to provide biology researchers
broader access to RNA interference, especially for scientists doing
research in immunology.
Sentry Logistic Solutions has debuted on the pharma scene,
launching a new range of services dedicated soley to the cold-chain
logistics, storage and packing of bulk pharmaceutical and
biotechnology components and finished products.
Berthold Technologies used Analytica to showcase its innovative new
instruments that will open up new opportunities for users in
bioimedical and pharmaceutical research.
UK firm Avecia Biotechnology has been given a £1m (€1.5m) grant to
lead a three year project to establish a faster and cheaper
bioprocessing technology for advanced tissue engineering, primarily
to develop new skin to heal burns victims.
Registration is now open for this year's International Society for
Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) European Congress. The topic of
focus is science-based manufacturing for the next decade.
Analytical instrument maker Thermo has announced it will promote
compatibility between its RESULT software and CAMO's Unscrambler
software, bringing together the most powerful near infrared (NIR)
analysers in the industry.
Genentech has entered into a collaboration with biopharmaceutical
firm Immunogen to develop a commercial manufacturing process for
its anticancer drug trastuzumab (Herceptin) using its
tumour-activated prodrug (TAP) technology.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has made the unprecedented step of
pledging his personal support for animal testing, provoking an
angry reaction from anti-vivisectionists.
deCODE and Illumina have entered an agreement to develop and
commercialise DNA-based diagnostics, in which deCODE will use
Illumina's SNP genotyping platform to expand its contract
genotyping business.
Pliva, Eastern Europe's biggest drug maker by sales, saw its
profits take a massive dive in the first quarter of 2006, as a huge
loss of royalties could not be offset by the relatively small
growth in its generics business.
Lab equipment specialists Gilson, were present at Analytica 2006,
with a whole host of products designed for research and analytical
preparations. The company attend the show with a view to strengthen
its foothold in the burgeoning...
Preliminary data from the first year of the EU's greenhouse gas
trading scheme has highlighted disparities in the allocation of
plant outputs and in the tracking of carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions, yet, all in all, pharma has...
