Singapore's pharmaceutical output is likely to be flat this year, a
casualty of increasing pressure from generic drug firms. The
prediction, made by a Singapore official comes after the country
experienced a 40 per cent growth...
US researchers have discovered that cholesterol plays a key role in
anchoring a signalling pathway, which has been linked to cell
division and cancer. The findings could identify cholesterol as an
unlikely drug target.
The emergence of nanotechnology is likely to have a significant
impact on drug delivery sector, affecting just about every route of
administration from oral to injectable, according to specialist
market research firm NanoMarkets.
China and India are forecasted as the most exciting prospects for
European pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Despite having
over a third of the world's population, Asia accounts for only one
fifth of global pharmaceutical...
GE Healthcare announced the launch of two new purification tools
designed to meet growing industry needs for the advancement of
monoclonal antibody (MAbs) research and development. The tools
become the latest offering in the chromatography...
US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis
have filed with the US Food and Drug Administration seeking
marketing approval for Exubera, an inhaled human insulin powder,
for the treatment of diabetes.
Metabolex has announced positive clinical trial results for its
oral insulin sensitiser for type 2 diabetes, which is primarily
designed to eliminate the dose-limiting side effects of the
currently marketed sensitisers.
Although US biotechnology company, Chiron, fully intends to be able
to provide its Fluvirin flu vaccine for the 2005/6 flu season, it
says it is difficult to predict the number of doses it will be able
to produce.
There is no doubt that the introduction of stents, and latterly
those that deliver pharmacological agents, has revolutionised the
treatment of coronary artery disease over the last 10 years and all
but consigned heart surgery to second-line...
According to a new report, the growth in molecular diagnostic
technologies is a driving factor leading major pharmaceutical
companies to incorporate a new category of medicine, theranostics,
into their drug development.
Varian has announced the availability of new software that enables
automated high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method
development and validation. This increase in sample throughput
makes it suitable for pharma and biotech...
A team of researchers have discovered how a key enzyme involved in
repairing DNA is put together and how it works, a development that
opens up new drug therapies for making cancer cells more vulnerable
to attack.
According to a recent survey, Apple, Cisco Systems, Dell, IBM and
Microsoft are best qualified to implement new technologies that
will advance genomics research.
A desire by pharmaceutical companies to concentrate their resources
on marketing products, rather than production and drug discovery,
will drive global revenues for contract manufacturing and research
to nearly $168bn (€128bn) by...
A high-ranking US Food and Drug Administration official has told a
Senate advisory committee that the agency needs more authority to
force drug companies to change labelling for their drugs when
safety issues arise, writes Phil Taylor.
BioProgress of the UK says that the commercial version of its
TABWRAP tablet-coating machine should be launched at this year's
Conference on Pharmaceutical Ingredients (CPhI) meeting in
November, reports Phil Taylor.
The UK regulatory authorities have cleared Chiron to resume
production of its influenza vaccine Fluvirin at its facility in
Liverpool, lifting a ban imposed in October because of
contamination problems at the plant.
Avidex has announced the publication of data that demonstrates the
potential of new immunotherapeutics based on the T cell immune
response, which has so far been largely unexplored.
Ultrasonic Scientific has released an ultrasonic analyser,
described as the 'first of its kind' as the only ultrasonic
analyser of sedimentation stability. The product brings the
benefits of ultrasound to the pharmaceutical,...
The UK government intends to purchase a stockpile of anti-flu drugs
to treat 14.6 million people over the next two years as part of the
UK's preparedness for an influenza pandemic.
Denmark-headquartered Niro is finalizing a €10 million investment
programme centred on the expansion of its drying test site, located
at its main facility in Copenhagen, that will extend its reach into
the pharmaceutical sector, reports...
Neurocrine Biosciences has announced positive Phase I clinical
trial results with its proprietary, orally active small molecule
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (GnRH) receptor antagonist that
could diminish bone demineralisation.
UK company Archimedes Pharma has signed the first licensing deal
for its nasal delivery platform since acquiring the technology from
West Pharmaceutical Services last month.
Sigma-Aldrich has completed the acquisition of JRH Biosciences
division (JRH) for $370 million (€282 million) in cash, extending
its presence in the cell culture product sector and consolidating
its position in the burgeoning functional...
JEOL USA has unveiled a new technology for analysing the chemical
composition of solids, gases, and liquids in real time, with
applications across a broad range of industries including the
identification and tracing of pharmaceutical...
In the US, Wave Biotech and ILC Dover have launched a new version
of their disposable mixing device for use in the pharmaceutical,
biotechnology and other industries.
The Netherlands has set up a programme to boost its biotechnology
sector by helping small and medium-sized biopharma firms to develop
and manufacture products, writes Phil Taylor.
VIRxSYS report the results of its latest clinical trial, testing
VRX496, a HIV-derived lentiviral vector that could represent a
novel HIV gene therapy. The trial results also showed patients with
multiple-drug resistant HIV responding...
Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences have
discovered a way of making membrane proteins in bacterial cells,
opening the door to new and improved treatments for a host of human
diseases.
Owens-Illinois has received an Ease-of-Use Commendation from the
Arthritis Foundation in the US for its 1-Clic Packaging System,
first introduced in 2002.
Thermo Electron has launched an X-ray analyser in response to the
needs of laboratories dealing with unpredictable samples. It
incorporates a non-destructive analysis with sensitivity at
single-digit ppm levels for most elements and...
Polychromix, a company specialising in optical systems, has
branched out into the spectroscopy sector with a new range of near
infrared (NIR) spectrometers that are targeted at users who need a
low-cost, portable system.
Claims that allowing parallel trade in pharmaceuticals is opening
the door to counterfeiting and bioterrorists have been refuted by a
senior executive at Pfizer in testimony to the US Senate's Health,
Education, Labour and Pensions...
Pharmacogenomics will alter the balance of power in the way drugs
are developed, tested, marketed and prescribed during the next
decade, and the blockbuster business model of big pharmaceutical
companies will eventually give way...
Japan's Chugai Pharmaceutical is planning to slash the number of
manufacturing plants it operates in Japan in the wake of its
alliance with Switzerland's Roche in 2002.
Hamilton Life Science Robotics has taken Invitrogen's Gateway
Technology one step further by creating an automated cloning system
that monitors and tracks each plate undergoing various processes.
The system aims to further refine...
UK-based biotechnology firm Biotica Technology and the University
of Cambridge have secured funding for a collaborative research
initiative into new expression systems for the production of
polyketides.
Pfizer is to acquire Idun Pharmaceuticals in an agreement, which
includes a new technology platform with potential applications in
liver disease, inflammation and cancer.
The rumours of a marriage between Japanese drugmakers Sankyo and
Daiichi Pharmaceutical were confirmed on Friday, when the two
companies officially announced their intention to merge in a stock
deal valued at around Y 813.0 billion...
Having opted to hang onto its pharmaceutical packaging business
instead of selling it off, Denmark's Superfos has now expanded the
production capacity of the unit 'to extend its position as one of
the leading suppliers in...
Researchers have found a protein, which plays a significant role in
colorectal carcinoma. The protein blocks the ability of tumours to
activate a natural self-destruct mechanism that would clear the
cancer from the body.
Nanotechnology for molecular targeting and drug delivery is set to
become a trillion-dollar industry, fuelled by the pharmaceutical
industry, which faces increasingly challenging market conditions.
This has lead to an intensified...
New statistics released today show that total US investments in
R&D made by the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry
topped $38.8 billion (€29.3 billion) during 2004. This beats the
$34.5 billion total set in 2003 and demonstrates...
Cyclacel has received a US patent that covers a novel series of
pyrimidine small molecules shown to inhibit the progress of cells
through the cancer cell cycle. The patented compounds may be useful
as therapeutics for cancer, inflammatory...
ITI Life Sciences and CXR Biosciences together with Artemis
Pharmaceuticals have entered into a £5.5 million (€7.9 million)
R&D programme to develop new screening and safety models to
more accurately predict the effects of drug...
Agilent Technologies has introduced the first high-performance
liquid chromatography (HPLC)-chip/mass spectrometry (MS) system for
protein identification. This breakthrough microfluidics-based LC/MS
technology is expected to significantly...
A consortium of companies producing biodegradable and compostable
polymers for packaging has committed itself to guaranteeing an
efficient biodegradeability standard across the EU.
