Europe is set to fall further behind in the development of novel
anti-cancer agents unless it doubles the amount spent on academic
clinical trials. New and more effective non-drug interventions and
prognostic markers depend on these...
US company SurModics is evaluating a biodegradeable polymer
technology, developed at Rutgers University, that could improve the
delivery of drugs into the eye.
Ireland's largest home grown pharmaceutical company, Elan Holdings,
could be split up into two separate units, one focussing on
biotechnology and the other on manufacturing and drug delivery,
according to UK news reports.
UK company Atomising Systems Ltd has completed construction of a
cleanroom facility at its plant in Sheffeld, UK, that will be used
to produce a delivery vehicle used in Brachysil, a candidate drug
for liver cancer.
Morphotek has announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has
accepted its New Drug Application for a humanised monoclonal
antibody, intended for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.
Thermo Electron has introduced a high performance liquid
chromatography (HPLC) system - the Finnigan Surveyor Plus - for
high-throughput sample processing.
Rhodia is facing two separate investigations for alleged accounting
irregularities as well as insider trading, just as the financial
difficulties afflicting the French chemicals group have started to
abate.
Japan's Toppan Printing has developed a radio frequency
identification (RFID) tag that can be embedded within glass
containers such as test tubes, vials or medicine bottles.
A new formulation of the over-the-counter decongestant
pseudoephedrine developed by drug delivery company SCOLR Pharma has
successfully cleared a clinical trial, providing a validation of
the firm's technology platform, reports...
The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering has
launched a new technical publication to help pharmaceutical
companies comply with new regulatory requirements on keeping
electronic rather than paper-based records in the...
US researchers have found that three types of leukaemias are all
caused by acquired mutations that alter a specific enzyme
controlling blood cell proliferation. Identifying the genetic
malfunction may give rise to a targeted therapy,...
The wealth of new targets identified from genomics and the
discoveries made in the molecular pathology of cancer will give
rise to a new generation of cancer treatment, moving one step
closer to individualised, target therapy.
Researchers have, for the first time, identified two separate
populations of immune cells in the liver, which will help doctors
understand the mechanisms by which the liver is damaged and
repaired and may lead to future drug therapies.
Danish analytical technology specialist Foss has reported a sharp
increase in organic growth in 2004, helped in part by the merger of
two of Foss subsidiaries, and the introduction of 10 new products
for the world market, reports...
The decreasing number of truly original drugs approved by the Food
and Drug Administration is becoming such a serious issue that the
pharmaceutical market's tag as the 'innovator industry' is being
called into question,...
Canadian biopharmaceutical company, Theratechnologies, has
announced positive results for its latest drug candidate for the
treatment of type II diabetes. The GLP-1 analogue takes its
position in the market for this rapidly evolving...
Belgian company Solvay is to buy Fournier Pharma for up to €1.6bn
in a move that ties into the group's long-term strategy to boost
its activities in the pharmaceuticals sector, reports Phil
Taylor.
India's new patent law, that will prevent domestic pharmaceutical
manufacturers from making low-cost generic copies of in-patent
drugs - has finally been passed by the lower house of the country's
parliament, writes Phil...
Researchers at the Serono Genetics Institute have announced the
identification of 80 genes involved in the inflammatory and
neuro-degenerative pathways of multiple sclerosis (MS) forming a
library of potential targets for future treatments...
The world's number one pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, is to close
a plant in Michigan, US, as part of a drive to reduce its global
manufacturing capacity.
A study suggesting combination therapy could stop the spread and
halt the growth of skin melanomas could pave the way for a better
understanding of the disease, and thus, the development of more
effective long-term treatment options...
UK speciality chemicals firm C6 Solutions has said that it will be
stopping production operations by the end of 2005 and has put its
entire manufacturing plant and equipment up for sale.
One of the most chemically benign separation processes could for
the first time be made available to manufacturers in the
pharmaceutical industry, thanks to pioneering work carried out by
researchers in the US.
Theravance has announced that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has exercised
its option to license Theravance's inhaled bifunctional, muscarinic
antagonist/beta2 agonist (MABA) program under the terms of their
2004 agreement. The compounds...
There is speculation that the problems at GlaxoSmithKline's
manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico may prove to be more costly
for the company than originally thought.
As part of an initiative to speed development of new medical
products through the science of pharmacogenomics, the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) has issued a final guidance that aims to
clarify how pharmacogenomic data will be...
GE Healthcare has expanded its AKTA range of chromatography amd
filtration systems with the launch of AKTAcrossflow for membrane
selection and process development at the research scale.
In the second of a two-part interview, DrugResearcher.com
spoke to Dr. Tim Jaeger, director of business development at iAS
interactive Systems, Germany. Here, Jaeger spoke about the future
of knowledge management and commented on...
Researchers in the US have discovered a novel method of improving
the solubility of carbon nanotubes, which could lead to new types
of packaging with improved functionality.
Perrigo, a US manufacturer of nonprescription drugs and nutritional
products, has completed its acquisition of Agis Industries, the
second largest drug company in Israel, for $818m.
In France, sales of generic drugs are continuing to grow, helped by
a favourable regulatory regime and a wave of patent expiries on top
branded drugs, reports Phil Taylor.
Genetically modified (GM) plants are to be used to grow vaccines
for use in the worldwide fight against HIV, tuberculosis, diabetes
and rabies thanks to a grant of €12 million from the European
Union, reports Phil Taylor.
NJM/CLI has launched a system that simultaneously applies and
verifies radiofrequency identification tags on bottles and other
item level containers using a primary labeller, writes Phil
Taylor.
With the absence of any truly effective drug treatment for brain
tumours, news of researchers working on innovative treatments for
one of the deadliest tumour types raises the possibility of
readdressing the current situation and...
Drug giants Novartis and Schering have announced a central review
of study data failed to prove the results of its experimental
cancer drug was "statistically significant" and was unable to
exclude the possibility that the...
Researchers in the US have developed a drug delivery technology
that directs therapeutics directly to bone, raising the possibility
of improved treatment for osteoporosis and other diseases affecting
bone, including cancer, reports...
The prospect of using genomic analysis as a tool for studying
trauma patients is a realistic prospect according to a new study,
which says the tool can be used to predict whether or not a given
patient will respond to a specific course...
French pharmaceutical company Pierre Fabre is to invest €30 million
in its plant at Idron near Pau to bolster its contract
manufacturing activities for injectable drugs.
Drug research and development is facing a major problem with the
sheer influx of data generated, which threatens to further slow
down productivity, if its management and interpretation is not
efficiently dealt with.
As the US Food and Drug Administration continues its deliberations
on generic biopharmaceuticals, the industry body representing
generic drug manufacturers has said that the time has now come for
the agency to make some hard decisions,...
In the first of a two-part interview, DrugResearcher.com
took time out to talk to Dr. Tim Jaeger, director of business
development at iAS interactive Systems, Germany. Speaking at the
recent Drug Discovery Technology Europe conference...
While the Drug Discovery Technology Europe show placed an emphasis
on issues surrounding drug research, companies serving the pharma
and biotech industries took the opportunity to showcase the latest
technologies that are set to prove...
Swiss drugmaker Novartis says that its renin inhibitor drug
aliskiren (SPP100), which potentially represents the first in a new
class of orally-active drugs for high blood pressure, has shown
promising data in a clinical trial.
Measuring RNA levels in tissues and cells using polymerase chain
reaction (PCR) forms the basis of pharmacogenomic and toxicogenomic
studies, but US firm Genpathway claims to have come up with a
better alternative.
A technique for neutralising the action of the leptin - providing a
means for controlling and better understanding of the function of
this protein, including its role in unwanted cell growth - has been
developed by researchers at...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is gearing up to publish
its final guidance on the submission of pharmacogenomic data
alongside drug marketing applications, first disseminated in draft
form in 2003, reports Phil Taylor.
A team of gene researchers has sequenced the entire length of the
X-chromosome, providing a starting point to explore the biological
differences between men and woman and a plethora of genes
implicated in human diseases.
TASC Pharmaceuticals, which makes active pharmaceutical ingredients
(APIs), is to merge with fellow Indian company Glenmark
Laboratories, a specialist in formulations and biological drugs.
