Scientists have taken a major step forward in autoimmune disease
research after the process of T-cell trafficking through the blood
and lymph nodes to fight infection was discovered. Controlling this
process with drugs offers "enormous...
American Pacific Corp has agreed to acquire the assets of Aerojet
Fine Chemicals for $119 million (€98m), in a deal which APC said
would give it access to 'fast-growing pharmaceutical markets'.
Merrion Pharmaceuticals has been granted a US patent for a drug
delivery technology that improves the transport of medicines across
biological membranes.
New analysis into the gene therapy market reveals that
toxicological complications and poor therapy efficacy have hampered
the growth of this sector in which new ways must be found to
improve clinical efficiency and generate revenue.
A recent report has identified the need for effective clinical
investigator recruitment, which has become so crucial in the
laboratory management of successful clinical trials and subsequent
product launches.
Pharmaceutical company, Takeda, has struck a deal with
pharmaceutical services provider, PPD, in which it has acquired the
rights to all dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP4) inhibitors - one of a
new generation of agents for diabetes treatment.
Thermo Electron announces the launch of its chromatography data
system (CDS), which provides enhancements in data integration with
laboratory information management systems (LIMS) for improved
laboratory productivity.
US firms Large Scale Biology Corp and privately-held Planet
Biotechnology have expanded their biomanufacturing program to
extract and purify the latter's lead product, CaroRx, a plant-made
antibody to control dental caries.
Infinity Pharmaceuticals announced the initiation of a phase I
clinical trial of the company's lead investigational anticancer
agent for the development of a potential treatment for patients
with multiple myeloma. The compound...
Scientists at Chr Hansen's US research operations have developed a
gum acacia-based film coating, suitable for use in pharmaceuticals,
that combines low cost, long shelf life and low shipping costs.
Applied Biosystems has teamed up with Invitrogen to combine forces
on providing proteomic analyses and biomarker studies in drug
discovery and disease research.
Researchers in the US have uncovered the mechanism underlying a
genetic tendency for some patients to be more susceptible to side
effects of drugs than others.
French biotechnology company Proteus is launching a business unit
to provide protein engineering and production services for the life
science industry.
AstraZeneca has forged a deal with US biotechnology company Avanir
Pharmaceuticals - valued at up to $340 million - for the
development of a new type of treatment for high cholesterol that
could be more effective than current drugs...
A disposable flask bioreactor designed by Swiss company Integra
Biosciences has been shown to boost cell densities in mammalian
cell culture by a factor of 10 in a study.
Cardinal Health has completed the manufacturing of an antibody
destined for human clinical trials, using a cell line that was made
with its patented GPEx (Gene Product Expression) technology.
Millipore continued its shopping trip for new businesses last week
with the purchase of NovAseptic, a Swedish company specialising in
aseptic processing equipment used in the production of
pharmaceutical and biologic drugs.
A small interfering RNA (siRNA) library developed by Ambion has
been used to provide a detailed analysis of endocytosis, the
process by which cells internalise nutrient, cell signalling, and
other molecules.
The efficiency of vaccinations could be dramatically improved by
combining peptide antigens with dendritic cells, according to new
research published in the journal Nature Medicine (July issue).
A new class of antipressant - dubbed the triple reuptake inhibitor
- will in time come to dominate the market for depression
treatments and achieve multibillion dollar revenues, according to
new market research.
US drugmaker Merck & Co has signed a deal with Japan's Sumitomo
Pharmaceuticals, which gives it an exclusive license to SM13496
(lurasidone), an atypical antipsychotic that the latter company is
developing for the treatment...
A recent study designed to assess biopharmaceutical innovation in
the member states of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development has found that, in terms of innovation and
biotechnology industry development, Belgium...
Hamilton launches two new products, which are set to aid the
facilitation of automation in laboratories, placing tedious and
time-consuming processes in the hands of cutting edge and
cost-effective technology for automation.
UK biotechnology company Ionix Pharmaceuticals is gearing up for
acquisition by Vernalis in a share-based deal valuing Ionix at
around £12.5 million (€18.2m).
Celliance has introduced a new bovine albumin product, manufactured
exclusively from animals originating in Australia, that is aimed at
applications such as pharmaceuticals where there is a need to
ensure the absence of transmissible...
West Pharmaceutical Services is planning to buy Israel's Medimop
Medical Projects, which develops disposable medical devices for the
mixing, transfer, reconstitution and administration of injectable
drugs.
A new gene scanning technology, developed by researchers in the UK,
is set to have a major impact on healthcare in the future with the
potential to lead a very personalised genetic profile relevant to
drug prescribing, leading to...
ViroLogic, announced the signing of a multi-year, $4.8 million (€4
million) service agreement with Schering-Plough Research Institute,
to use ViroLogic's novel HIV resistance testing technology to
support Schering-Plough's...
NMT Medical announced that the company has received approvals to
initiate studies designed to evaluate its new closure technology.
The collagen matrix used in the technology has the potential to
deliver and localise drugs and other...
The UK's figures on recycling waste is skewed because companies are
exporting their problem rather than increasing reprocessing rates,
the UK's second largest packaging waste compliance company claims.
A major food equipment manufacturer has announced plans to expand
into pharmaceutical equipment and processing, following its
purchase from Italian owners CIR last month.
Botanical drug specialists, Phytomedics, has licensed a novel
anti-inflammatory compound, achieving development of heterogenous
plant-derived products as ethical drugs in the US, while reducing
costs and time frames in comparison...
Emergent Biosolutions has announced it has acquired Microscience,
in a deal that adds proprietary platform technology in oral vaccine
delivery. The deal also adds to Emergent's European presence in the
growing global vaccine...
Applied DNA Sciences has entered into collaboration with Advanced
Coding Systems (ACS), in a deal to develop security products for
brand protection and electronic article surveillance for
pharmaceutical supply chain management.
US researchers have identified a specific pathway that causes
inflammation in lung tissue, a discovery that could help in the
design of more targeted drug treatments for patients with various
lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis,...
Arena Pharmaceuticals has announced the latest results of a phase I
clinical trial that is testing a novel insomnia compound, which
could treat the 30 to 40 per cent of US adults, who complain about
some level of insomnia in the course...
The drug resistance encountered by scientists when treating cancer
cells has been the subject of research by German scientists who
believe they have identified a cellular protein, which mediates a
death signal.
US scientists have shown that microRNA (miRNA) plays an essential
role in the development of the fruit fly. The discovery means that
miRNA could emerge as a new target for interventions aimed at
treating disease, or as a therapeutic...
Bayer Healthcare has announced that it will publish information
about its ongoing clinical trials, reinforcing the intention of the
pharmaceutical companies within the industry to provide an arena in
which they can publish information...
Sigma Aldrich has launched a new kit, which incorporates a novel
approach for the fluorescent quantification of proteins offering
numerous advantages over existing kits that include reversible
covalent binding, large dynamic range,...
Balchem has acquired the encapsulation and agglomeration business
of IOI Group - part of Loders Croklaan USA - in a move that extends
its activities in the food and pharmaceutical ingredient sectors.
