Escalating drug costs could be driven down by up to $20 billion a
year and dwindling drug pipelines improved if a newly-formed US
research group is successful.
Carrington Laboratories has been granted a European patent for its
drug and vaccine delivery technology, representing the first
European Patent issued for the company's GelSite Polymer, designed
for peptide and protein-based...
A novel drug delivery system that allows hospital patients to
self-administer pain relief medication without an intravenous line
could be available in the US within six months, pending final Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
Omron Corp aims to invest $20 million in the next two years in an
attempt to capture a larger slice of the RFID market, which is
expected to swell from $1.95 billion (€1.65 million) in 2005 to an
estimated $26.9 billion in 2015, driven...
Laboratory researchers believe that a recent discovery will prove
highly effective in stopping the progress of anthrax infection,
further developing reliable treatments to diagnose this killer
microorganism.
A Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) was launched last week in a move
to bolster the chemistry and biotechnology industry's contribution
to European growth and competitiveness.
A new report suggests that up to 30 biopharmaceutical products
developed by UK companies using cell-based manufacturing techniques
could be approved by 2012, reinforcing the idea that
biopharmaceuticals are increasingly being seen...
Researchers believe that new treatments or ways to diagnose memory
problems will get a boost from a substantial grant that aims to
create a brain-scanning method to test drug treatments, which
investigates how brain cells age, and...
Roche and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announced an agreement to
develop and commercialise BioCryst's phase I compound, which has
been developed for the prevention of acute rejection in
transplantation and for the treatment of autoimmune...
Gentra Systems has introduced its new versaGene DNA Cell
Purification Kit, which responds to the growing need for
high-quality DNA for sensitive downstream applications. The kit
uses chemistry and column design to purify DNA with...
Oxford University has been given the go-ahead to resume building
work on its new animal research laboratory complex, which had
previously been the subject of protest from animal rights activists
last summer.
An automated prescription verification process is proving a
valuable tool for the prevention of drug dispensing errors and is
now gaining acceptance within the US pharmacy industry.
Researchers have developed a new laboratory technique, which allows
them to change sequences within a DNA molecule. The tool is set to
have positive implications in DNA lab-based medical diagnosis and
nanobiotechnology.
Bentley has accelerated the path to launching its novel intranasal
spray insulin, signing a license agreement with India's Biocon to
develop and market the product in 85 countries throughout Asia,
Africa, and the Middle East.
Merck is to cut 7,000 jobs, close five factories and three research
facilities, as the US pharmaceutical company continues to suffer
from the devastating repercussions caused by its painkiller Vioxx
and the pending lawsuits.
Schott Pharmaceutical Packaging will be the first international
manufacturer of primary pharmaceutical glass packaging to establish
a production site in China, in a move that will increase supply to
Chinese injectable drug manufacturers...
Hopax Fine Chemicals is building a new facility in Kaohsiung,
Taiwan, in a move to raise current production capacity by five
folds and become one of the top providers for biological buffers
and specialty chemicals for the pharmaceutical...
Bayer Diagnostics launches its latest immunoassay system, part of
its ADVIA family of automated clinical laboratory solutions, which
enable laboratories to rapidly perform a wide variety of
disease-specific tests which enhance the...
The pressures placed on pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms are
causing companies to outsource their drug discovery processes as
contract research organisations (CROs) expand to offer services
such as finance/accounting, logistics...
Cellectricon has launched a new chip for safety pharmacology and
hERG studies, which aims to provide a solution to the current need
for increased throughput and data quality in ion channel drug
discovery that has plagued drug researchers.
Gedeon Richter and Forest Laboratories have expanded their
collaboration by forming two additional agreements involving two
novel mechanisms targeted for the treatment of CNS conditions,
building upon the existing collaboration announced...
SemBioSys Genetics has demonstrated bio-equivalence of a
plant-produced insulin, which if realised, could become a viable
alternative to meet the demand for insulin as the incidence of
diabetes increases worldwide.
Researchers have developed a new catalyst process that offers
faster reaction rates, a substantially higher product yield and a
cleaner production process than is currently available in the
pharmaceutical and chemical industry.
Alcan has acquired the outstanding minority share of Propack in a
deal that further cements the company's standing in the Chinese
market. The acquisition forms part of a major restructuring
exercise, in which the closure and...
The world's first commercial-scale continuous sonocrystallisation
system promises to revolutionise the way crystals are processed in
pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Private equity firm, Direct Capital has acquired a shareholding of
51 per cent in New Zealand Pharmaceuticals (NZP). The investment by
Direct Capital aims to tap into the growing potential of
glycotherapeutics drugs.
Isopak have launched a new semi automatic capsule-filling machine
that is designed to deal with non-lubricated substances intended
for clinical trials, and drug or product development work.
BASF launched its new dry binder excipient at CPhI, aimed at
increasing the hardness of pharmaceutical tablets and reducing the
manufacturing costs associated with damaged and broken tablets.
A US district court has denied a motion by Bio-Rad Laboratories to
enforce an alleged settlement agreement with Applied Biosystems
meaning the life science research product provider cannot continue
selling its thermal cycler products.
Researchers have identified two proteins involved in the process
that controls plant growth, which may help explain why human cells
reject chemotherapy drugs and could form a basis for new oncology
drugs.
Degussa have discovered a catalyst that improves the efficiency of
reductive carbonylation reactions and will provide greater access
to new active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
Increasing knowledge about how to manage the risks of gene therapy
is set to usher in a new era in disease therapies, with the
prospect of developing treatments in treating rare, inherited, or
life-threatening diseases very real.
Researchers have shown how protein synthesis is targeted to certain
regions of a cell, a process crucial for the cellular motility,
which could form a basis for producing a drug that could force
tumour cells to express this protein,...
Sun Microsystems have strengthened the fight against drug
counterfeiting by launching a unique RFID software package tailored
to the specific needs of the pharmaceutical industry.
Global packaging provider Rexam is expanding its US business,
announcing this week that it is set to acquire plastic packaging
firm Precise Technology - a move that will expand its capabilities
in the growing pharmaceutical packaging...
Patheon has received the 2005 Contract Manufacturing Company of the
Year Award from consultancy firm Frost & Sullivan, in
recognition of its customer service and innovative market growth
strategies.
The surge in vaccines against influenza has surprised Governments
across the world, with the stark admission that demand was
unforeseen. Avian flu, which has emerged as a real threat to
humans, has not only have added to the danger...
New legislation has given UK company Accentus the green light to
use its novel predictive crystallisation technology to discover and
market variations of patented drugs without infringing the original
patent.
GenoID has announced a breakthrough in human papillomavirus (HPV)
testing with the first ever laboratory test kit that uses a
real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR) method to
detect all virus variants that cause cervical...
The need to analyse voluminous data is set to create a wealth of
opportunities for bioinformatics in which systems integration
capabilities are predicted to boost uptake of bioinformatics and
clinical informatics in drug discovery...
Pfizer and Incyte have entered a collaborative research and license
agreement for the development and commercialisation of CCR2
antagonists - an emerging class of drug that aims to serve an unmet
need in the treatment of rheumatoid...
Scientists have noted that stimulating brain cell receptors for
certain hormone-like chemicals in brain cells can protect them from
a compound linked to brain cell death and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Researchers have combined nanotechnology with biochemistry to
create synthetic membranes that, for the first time, enable direct
control of signalling activity in living T cells from the immune
system, which could lead to better development...
A new class of chiral stationary phases (CSPs) for analytical and
preparative-scale high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC),
has been launched by ZirChrom Separations, which further enhances
HPLC as a method of choice for chiral...
Avecia spin-off, Reaxa, has announced that Umicore has taken a 21
per cent stake in a move that underlines Reaxa's business strategy
in looking at joint R&D, new product development and toll
manufacturing agreements.
In the second part of a special report, In-PharmaTechnologist has
taken a closer look at the Pharmaceutical Fine Chemicals Business
of Clariant, which made a series of announcements on new
investments in facilities in Europe and the...
Superfos has reported positive third quarter results after a
troubled start to the year. The company attributes the turnaround
to declining raw material prices and growth in European business
sales.
A European parliament vote on the REACH chemicals legislation last
week struck a balance between health, the environment and industry
after months of intense debate.
Solvias debuted its new 80-member ligand kit at CPhI 2005, offering
manufacturers increased flexibility in active pharmaceutical
ingredient (API) development and manufacturing.
