Novagali Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative
drug delivery systems, has started a Phase I clinical trial in
patients with advanced cancer for its oral formulation of the
cancer drug paclitaxel.
The worldwide market for therapeutic and diagnostic monoclonal
antibodies is expected to reach $26 million (€21.2 million) by
2010, buoyed on by technological advances that allow antibodies to
exhibit a specified targeted attack on...
Upstate group has launched a new chromatin immunoprecipitation
(ChIP) product that aims to streamline and standardise routine
laboratory techniques by making testing quicker, easier and more
reproducible, reports Wai Lang Chu.
According to a new report, the US pharmaceutical industry is
ignoring as much as $16 billion (€13 billion) in cash as the
industry struggles to cope with disappointing single-digit growth,
a lack of new products to replace drugs coming...
US-based Avery Dennison is now producing radio frequency
identification (RFID) inlays using a new high-speed manufacturing
process to meet what the company believes will be a booming demand
for clients who ship cartons and pallets.
Bruker Daltonics introduces a novel protein post translational
modification (PTM) discovery tool that represents the first
commercially available Electron Transfer Dissociation (ETD) module
for PTM discovery and de novo peptide sequencing...
Affymetrix has signed an agreement to acquire ParAllele Bioscience
- a move intended to broaden its variety of microarray
applications. This acquisition builds on a two-year collaboration
between the two companies.
US generic company Alpharma has turned to an Indian company to
supply its finished products and active pharmaceutical ingredients,
saying that this could cut its costs in half, reports Phil
Taylor.
SupplyScape, a US company specialising in developing track and
trace technologies for the pharmaceutical industry, has teamed up
with IT consultancy UniSys to set up a pilot study of SupplyScape's
electronic pedigree for drugs,...
Targepeutics has announced the issuance of a patent that targets
brain cancer compounds, specifically used to treat malignant
glioma. The more specific targeting should allow broader and safer
application of recombinant cytotoxins.
UK dosage form specialist BioProgress gave the first insight into
its much-anticipated strategic review yesterday, just over a month
after the departure of former CEO Graham Hind, reports Phil
Taylor.
Isolagen unveils its automated cellular expansion (ACE) system,
which claims to harvest cells more cost-effectively than other cell
harvesting systems currently available. The system will reduce the
time needed by research and commercial...
Qiagen has acquired the PCR diagnostics company Artus, in a move
that now allows Qiagen to offer preanalytical sample preparation
and diagnostic assay solutions to its partners in molecular
diagnostics. The acquisition further allows...
Singapore contract biologics manufacturer A-Bio has added another
top pharmaceutical company to its list of customers, just over 18
months after starting operations, reports Phil Taylor.
Concern over the threat of a new flu pandemic is hiking demand for
Roche's Tamiflu >(oseltamivir phosphate) product to the extent
that the firm needs to build another production plant, reports
Phil Taylor.
Pfizer has entered a worldwide collaboration and licensing
agreement with Renovis to research, develop and commercialise small
molecules that target a receptor, which generates signals for
certain types of pain.
France's AES Laboratories has developed a system for the rapid
monitoring of air in the cleanroom or pharmaceutical production
facility for microbial contamination, without having to wait days
for culturing, reports Phil Taylor.
Chromos Molecular Systems won another customer for its cell line
engineering technology yesterday, when world number one drugmaker
Pfizer took out a license for its ACE system, reports Phil
Taylor.
An official of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has admitted
that the regulatory agency was "the single greatest obstacle to
doing anything effective" regarding Vioxx, adding that the FDA
could have prevented the...
According to data presented this week, multiple second-generation
antisense drugs that show potential as new treatments for asthma
could represent the future in treating this disorder that has
soared in worldwide cases, particularly...
Marchesini has made its first foray into the market for stickpack
packaging with the launch of a complete automated line aimed at
manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries,
writes Phil Taylor.
Chemical Abstracts Service and FIZ Karlsruhe have launched new
software that is set to provide insights into trends and patterns
in scientific and patent information, which is achievable through
greater value from search results.
Canadian packaging technology company Creo has teamed up with XINK
Laboratories, a company that makes conducting ink for printing
radiofrequency identification (RFID) antennas, to address RFID tag
security issues.
Able Laboratories has announced sweeping job cuts across its
manufacturing division in the wake of the quality control problems
emerging at its plant in the US, reports Phil Taylor.
US researchers have identified an enzyme activity that is
inactivated in all reported mutant forms of a disease protein,
opening up opportunities for therapies to treat ataxia, a rare
hereditary neurological disease that affects 1/100,000...
Targeted Genetics Corporation announced the issuance of a new
patent, which covers the company's approach to increase carrying
capacity of adeno-associated virus (AAV) technology platform
expanding the potential applications...
The European Union is to part-finance the creation of a European
Theoretical Spectroscopy Facility (ETSF) to advance collaboration
across the continent in the field of nanotechnology, reports
Phil Taylor.
Ablynx has announced that it had signed a collaborative agreement
with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) Institute for
Biological Sciences (IBS) that aims to concentrate its discovery
efforts in the area of neurodegenerative...
NanoLogix unveils its DNA extraction system for the molecular
diagnostics market, which is said to take significantly less time
than standard spin column extraction methods.
Beckman Coulter has launched a gene analysis system that aims to
deliver high-throughput, cost effective gene expression via
scalable, multiplexed PCR and overcome the biases that limit
standard PCR analyses to just a few genes...
Agilent Technologies is to acquire SSI in a move that will combine
the former's analytical instrumentation, data systems and services
with SSI's strong position in chromatographic data systems and
informatics.
Drug delivery specialist SCOLR Pharma has started pilot testing in
Canada of a formulation of the osteoporosis drug raloxifene that
promises to improve the absorption of the drug and, potentially,
hike its efficacy, reports Phil Taylor.
Creo, a Canadian firm which makes imaging and printing
technologies, has teamed up with label company Accucote to develop
invisibly-tagged, traceable label stocks for the pharmaceutical,
medical and other industries, writes Phil Taylor.
According to a recent report, the global bioinformatics market is
currently estimated at about $1.4 billion (€1.1 billion). It is
expected to grow at an average annual growth rate of 15.8 per cent
to reach nearly $3 billion by 2010,...
Novartis'collaboration with Myogen looks to have been a shrewd move
as Myogen report the extension to the original agreement to include
its histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) program. In addition,
Myogen has achieved three...
Genomic Solutions launches proprietary technology that automates
and minitaturises protein crystallisation screening, dispensing
both precipitant/mother liquors and protein in volumes ranging from
100 nanolitres to 100 microlitres.
A two-year study has recommended a greater focus in looking for
other methods of conducting medical research, as the continued use
of animals in experiments is both unrealistic and ethically
controversial.
Information technology giant IBM has developed a software
architecture that promises to modernise the pharmaceutical
industry's manufacturing processes, often accused of lagging behind
those of other industries such as chemicals...
UK company CI Electronics is rolling out a new tablet and capsule
weighing system, the SADE SP, in North America via local
distributor AC Compacting, reports Phil Taylor.
A delivery technology that could allow vaccines to be administered
intranasally and does not require refrigeration has passed its
first clinical hurdle, reports Phil Taylor.
The boundary between the pharma and biotech industries will become
incresingly blurred over the next 10 years, with the latter
enjoying stronger growth, writes Phil Taylor.
Merck KGaA announced its intention to relocate its pharmaceutical
research operations in Scotland to its larger biotech research
facility in the United States, withdrawing its DeImmunisation
technology service at the same time.
BioInvent become the latest company to enter the HIV/AIDS drug
arena after UK authorities gave the go ahead to commence the
company's first clinical trial of its human antibody to treat the
virus.
Norbrook Laboratories of Northern Ireland has acquired two
anaesthetic product lines and a production facility from Czech
company Synthesia, part of the Aliachem group, reports Phil
Taylor.
NextGen Sciences has launched an "automation-friendly" range of
consumables, designed to maximise throughput and productivity for
protein expression. The products have been designed to reduce error
and increase expression...
US generic company Able Laboratories ceased all its manufacturing
and recalled products yesterday after major problems emerged with
its quality control procedures, reports Phil Taylor.
GlaxoSmithKline is planning to use a series of packaging and
on-tablet technologies to prevent parallel trade in its HIV drugs
Combivir (zidovudine and lamivudine) and Epivir (lamivudine),
writes Phil Taylor.
The primary difficulty facing anyone given the task of designing a
state-of-the-art laboratory is that they generally don't have
access to a crystal ball to tell them exactly what will be at the
leading edge of technology in...
