Capsugel, the gelatine capsule manufacturing subsidiary of number
one drugmaker Pfizer, has expanded its equipment product offering
to its pharmaceutical customers by buying the powder micro-dosing
technology Xcelodose from Meridica.
A chemically produced folate, said to be several times more
bioavailable than folic acid and recently approved for food use in
Europe, gives premium supplement makers a chance to differentiate
from the commonly marketed form of the...
A team of materials scientists and biologists in the US say they
have developed 'smart' bio-nanotubes that could be used to deliver
a drug or gene to a particular location in the body.
Cardinal Health reported a mixed bag of results in its fourth
quarter, with revenues rising well on the back of rising demand for
its pharmaceutical distribution services, although operating profit
fell 9 per cent, in line with forecasts,...
Altana Chemie, the specialty chemicals unit of German
pharmaceutical and chemicals company Altana, has said it plans to
acquire Eckart for €630 million in cash, in what is the largest
purchase in the company's history.
The world's second largest pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline,
is investing close to €100 million in a new manufacturing facility
in Dresden, Germany, for flu vaccines.
Researchers have discovered that a protein, which acts as a
fundamental inhibitor of cell movement or migration, may be a
likely target for new drug development aimed at decreasing tumour
metastasis, or spread, throughout the body.
The raft of pharmaceutical companies reporting results for the
second quarter of 2005 provided mixed indications as to the state
of the industry. The claim that pipeline product fruition is
beginning to return among the pharmaceutical...
BioFocus and Organon have announced they are to embark on the
second phase of collaborative projects involving key GPCR targets
for therapeutic applications and drug discovery.
Clintrak Pharmaceutical Services (CPS) has announced that it has
been approved by the German Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority for
secondary packaging, warehousing and distribution operations at its
manufacturing site in Freiburg,...
Aegis Therapeutics announced it has entered into a licensing agreement for its patented Intravail drug delivery technology for application to several paediatric therapeutics.
Scientists have admitted that women who take heart drugs are taking
unknown risks after a review of existing data has shown that these
drugs can affect women differently.
A new genome sequencing technique that claims to be 100 times
faster than previous technologies has been developed by 454 Life
Sciences Corporation. The technique is the first new technology for
genome sequencing to be developed and...
The possibilities nanotechnology has in drug and therapeutic
applications was demonstrated once again after researchers were
able to demonstrate the destruction of cancer cells whilst keeping
healthy tissue unharmed.
Dowpharma has announced the addition of an oligonucleotide
synthesizer for its manufacturing of nucleic acid medicines. The
new oligo synthesizer is said to increase speed and flexibility in
producing clinical quantities for customers.
Bruker Biosciences returned back to profitability after a difficult
12 months, posting a modest revenue increase for the second
quarter. This has been driven by the introduction of new and
established technologies including its AXS...
Living Cell Technologies announced a significant reduction in the
size of brain lesions in a Huntington's disease (HD) model after
pre-clinical demonstrated this result using its NeurotrophinCell
(NtCell).
Millipore introduces its latest filter integrity test instrument
that allows biopharmaceutical production to conduct on-site bubble
point, diffusion and HydroCorrSM tests on disk, cartridge and
tangential flow filtration (TFF) filters.
The Hovione Group revealed its yearly figures for 2005, which
revealed that sales grew by 8 per cent. The company's performance
is in contrast to the pharma fine chemicals sector, which between
2002 and 2004 had an average 14...
Surmodics has announced a collaborative partnership with CardioMind
in which SurModics' Encore Drug Delivery Polymer Matrix will be
used in conjunction with CardioMind's low-profile stent system for
the treatment of coronary...
Melbourn Scientific is to launch a new pharmacopeial test facility
providing a range of contract analytical services to the
pharmaceutical industry. The move comes in response to market
demand.
Cambrex has recorded a gain in the second quarter of this year,
with growth in its Bioproducts and Human Health segments. The
performances overshadow the company's troublesome BioPharma
division, indicative of a market for outsourced...
Lab research scientists are being urged to drop their paper
notebooks and go electronic with Infotrievea's new management
software and the company's online research centre, reports Ahmed
ElAmin.
Researchers have discovered a new mechanism that reveals how high
levels of a neurotransmitter exerts its effect on the brain. The
findings provide new research avenues to understand and potentially
manage neurotransmitter-related...
Alfa Laval has announced the first of several new patents in which
a new mixing technology is described that claims to increase
productivity as well as reduce long cycle times - an issue that is
common with current single-use mixing...
Charles River Laboratories saw a double digit boost in fiscal
second quarter revenues with a leap in operating earnings, helped
by its acquisition of Inveresk Research Group, and also to
continuing strong demand for research models...
Freeman Technology introduces a new accessory for its rheometer,
which enables users to extend the range of applications to include
those for which only very small amounts of sample are available.
This includes pharmaceutical actives...
The future for Novartis' experimental cancer drug looked grim after
an ongoing clinical trial suggested that it was unlikely to boost
survival rates of patients with colon cancer. This is the second
setback for the drug this...
The Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) and Eiken
Chemicals have announced a collaboration to develop a rapid and
simple test for the detection of active tuberculosis (TB), a
disease that has infected close to a third...
UK processing and packaging machinery specialists, Isopak, have
revealed promising results of its spiral jet mill which is set to
give laboratories and R&D departments significant cost savings
by decreasing the amount of product...
A new device - dubbed an "optoelectronic tweezer," enables
researchers to manipulate large numbers of single cells and
particles using optical images projected onto a glass slide coated
with photoconductive materials. The...
Applied Biosystems Group reported a 40 per cent leap in profits as
the company released its forth quarter 2005 figures. The rise in
sales reflects the increased demand for biosecurity and human
identification products as well as its...
Invitrogen Corporation has acquired the publicly held life sciences
company BioSource International in a transaction totalling
approximately $130 million. This deal adds to Invitrogen's growing
collection of protein and primary...
Cara Therapeutics has announced positive results of a phase 1
clinical trial for its new class of peripherally acting kappa
opioid agonists currently under development for the treatment of
postoperative pain.
MAP Pharmaceuticals has broadened its agreement with Elan Corp to
develop improved formulations of respiratory drugs to include
combination asthma treatments and inhaled drugs for other lung
diseases.
According to a recent survey, the pharma industry spent an
estimated $1.25 billion for each new molecular entity (NME)
approved by the FDA in 2004. The figure represents the second
consecutive year in which this figure has declined...
Scientists have developed a nanoparticle that can penetrate a
tumour, cut off its blood supply and release a lethal dose of
anti-cancer toxins, while leaving healthy cells unscathed.
Italian processing machinery company IMA Group has decided to
increase its investment in a Chinese joint venture to tap into a
growth market at a time when its established territories in the
West are showing lacklustre growth, reports...
Germany's Evotec is to provide a broad range of pharmaceutical
discovery and chemical development services to Procter & Gamble
Pharmaceuticals in a lift for its outsourcing business.
Swiss chemicals firm and contract manufacturer Lonza fulfilled its
promise of stronger financial results in the first half of 2005,
with profits coming in at the lower end of the forecast range, but
still on target, reports Phil Taylor.
Japan's Kirin Brewery Co has bought Hematech of the US, acquiring
the latter's core technology for the production of bovine-derived
human polyclonal antibodies which could be useful in the
development of a range of human-use...
Labcyte has announced that it has closed its latest round of
financing in which $21 milllion was raised. The funds will be used
to expand its low-volume liquid handling business with a view to
marketing the next Labcyte product in...
Global supplier of scientific instruments, Varian, have launched
its first premium shielded vertical high-resolution superconducting
magnets designed to reduce stray magnetic fields by up to fivefold
(in volume). Pharmaceutical and...
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research and Development
(J&JPRD) and the Hurel Corporation have entered into a joint
scientific collaboration to develop microfluidic, technology, with
a view to launching the world's...
The acquisition of Flexible Packaging (FlexPac) of the US by the
Blackard Group will spur the development of the company's
technology into new industrial sectors, including pharmaceuticals.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries continued its bid for world
domination in the generic pharmaceuticals sector yesterday with a
$7.4 billion cash and stock bid for US company Ivax, reports
Phil Taylor.
The first study of systemic siRNA efficacy at therapeutically
relevant doses has been published by Sirna Therapeutics, who have
demonstrated an almost complete reduction of the hepatitis B virus
(HBV). The study establishes a strong...
Dutch pharmaceuticals and chemicals giant Akzo Nobel reported
second-quarter sales of €3.34 billion, up 6 per cent from the
comparable period in 2004, thanks to price increases that overcame
flat volumes.
