Around 80 workers from Merck KGaA's French site at Lacassagne in
Lyon have taken part in a protest at the company's headquarters in
Darmstadt, Germany, against the planned closure of the unit.
The merger between Yamanouchi and Fujisawa is the first step
towards creating a global mega-player, but additional tie-ups will
be required if the new entity is to join the top tier of
multinational pharmaceutical companies.
Chemicals company Sigma-Aldrich is to build an $8 million (€6.5m)
laboratory-scale production facility for pharmaceuticals in
Hyderabad, India, that will act as a feeder site for its plants
elsewhere.
Diversa has entered into a deal aimed at boosting its manufacturing
capacity in enzymes used for industrial processes, including the
production of pharmaceuticals. The agreement with Mexico's Fermic
is designed to step up the...
Boehringer Ingelheim has won a contract to develop a
commercial-scale manufacturing process for a new prostate cancer
drug in development at fellow German company Micromet.
An antisense compound developed by Hybridon could be of value in a
much broader range of human cancers than previously thought,
according to new research.
Icelandic company deCODE Genetics has entered into a seven-year
alliance to conduct pharmacogenomic studies on Merck & Co's
drug candidates using its population genetics database.
A new study has provided a 'cautiously optimistic' estimate of
spending on drug discovery and other areas of R&D over the next
couple of years, which will be music to the ears of technology
companies hit by a reluctance...
One of the hallmarks of cancer is that errors occur when the
chromosomes of cells divide and separate during cell division.
Researchers have spent many years trying to identify the cellular
mechanisms that are involved in keeping...
In Russia, the Health Ministry suspended the licences of 321
companies manufacturing or trading in counterfeit medicines last
year, and a further 200 may also lose their licences following
ongoing investigations, according to the...
Predictions that 2004 could see another wave of consolidation in
the pharmaceutical industry were lent further weight yesterday by
the announcement that Japanese drug majors Yamanouchi and Fujisawa
intend to merge in a $7.7 billion...
Scientists in the US have developed a new software package that can
predict the activity of enzymes, potentially improving the design
of new drugs and industrial reagents.
Serono has licensed rights to a drug that takes a novel approach to
the treatment of ulcerative colitis, a common disease that is
asociated with debilitating symptoms, including cancer, but remains
poorly treated with existing drugs.
The expansion of the European Union to include 25 member states
after May 2004 presents significant opportunities for the
pharmaceutical industry to tap new markets, but companies should
think twice before launching new products there.
A new finding may lead to new treatments for multiple myeloma, an
incurable cancer of immune cells called plasma cells that are
present in the blood and bone marrow.
As reported last week, Mark McClellan looks set to leave his post
as Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to run
the agency that oversees Medicare and its new prescription drug
programme for the elderly and disabled.
Dutch chemical company Akzo Nobel followed through on its plans to
cut costs at its pressured Diosynth subsidiary by slashing staff at
the unit, which has been hit by a deteriorating market for its
manufacturing services in both chemical...
Lonza has signed two new agreements for the supply of monoclonal
antibody-based drugs that provide an early fillip for its contract
manufacturing business, which was adversely affected by
overcapacity in 2003.
MeadWestvaco Intelligent Systems has launched a radio frequency
identification (RFID) inventory system that enables manufacturers
to more accurately monitor drug delivery from production to
pharmacy distribution.
Germany's Altana has filed for European marketing approval of the
first drug in new class - the phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors - for
asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Dow Chemical has taken a step forward in its plans to build up a
strong franchise in plant-based pharmaceutical production with the
signing of a contract to manufacture a new appetite suppressant.
Scientists working for the UK government have taken a step forward
in the development of an improved vaccine against plague, which
wiped out a third of Europe's population in the 14th Century and
has emerged more recently as...
Nucleic acid specialist Qiagen has reported a strong growth in
sales and profits for the fourth quarter of 2003, providing another
indication that the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry's
investment in R&D may be recovering.
Researchers in the US have developed a way of making synthetic
polyketides - structures which form the backbone of a number of
drugs for cancer and infectious diseases - that could provide a new
route to the design of new medicines.
Management consultancy firm Accenture has formed a group of
industry leaders that will work together to evaluate the potential
of new radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to improve
pharmaceutical product manufacturing,...
The US Food and Drug Administration issued its final report on ways
to combat pharmaceutical counterfeiting and identifies
radiofrequency identification (RFID) as a primary means of tackling
the problem.
Cardinal Health has said that it will not be proceeding with a $100
million (€78m) information technology and manufacturing facility in
Longford, Ireland.
UK pharmaceutical packaging firm Jaycare has been sold to venture
capitalists for the second time in four years, in a deal worth more
than £45 million (€67m).
The development of new drugs, rooted within the pharmaceutical
industry, is inefficient and unsustainable and a new model is
needed to reduce the cost of medicines and improve access to them.
UK firm Hanovia has developed a way of sterilising the air in
pharmaceutical cleanrooms - which have standards more stringent
than even hospital operating theatres - using ultraviolet light.
UK laboratory equipment specialist Lab-Plant says it can bring
process automation within the reach of the majority of
laboratories, pilot plants and mini-production facilities with the
launch of its Lab Manager process control computer...
Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has reported strong
increases in sales across its branded, generic and active
pharmaceutical ingredient (API) operations in the fourth quarter of
2003, as net income rose by more than a...
Newly formed UK company Structure Vision has launched a software
package designed to analyse the behaviour of particulate material -
including powders and tablets - in enclosed spaces.
Niche Phase I/IIa clinical development specialist Pharmaceutical
Profiles says it has seen a surge in demand for its development
services in the Japanese market - with particular interest being
shown in its new human microdosing service.
In its last set of annual results before being acquired by General
Electric, Amersham of the UK reported lower profits last year as
currency effects bit into the company's bottom line, but saw its
drug discovery unit move into...
DSM will cut around 500 jobs at its Chemelot site in Geleen, the
Netherlands over the next two years, in an effort to cut costs by
over €50 million per annum. The jobs will largely go in support
services and manufacturing staff departments.
The European Commission has given Europe a boost in the field of
structural genomics, awarding the European Molecular Biology
Laboratory (EMBL) and its partners €10 million to create a common
platform for researchers working in the...
Asthma is now one of the world's most common long-term conditions,
according to figures released today during the World Asthma Meeting
in Bangkok, Thailand, and the UK has the highest rate in the world.
Mark McClellan, considered the most industry-friendly Commissioner
that the US Food and Drug Administration has had in years, could be
leaving his position before the end of the month, according to
industry speculation.
A series of new drugs to treat HIV infection which work in
different ways to available therapies are moving through clinical
trials, raising the hope that a new generation of antivirals is on
the horizon to treat resistant strains...
UK tablet press and coating machine specialist Manesty will
introduce another product in its Xpress range at the TOTAL 2004
show next month as it navigates the sea-change in its business that
has emerged over the last few years.
Troubled chemicals company Rhodia has pressed ahead with plans to
sell off its food ingredients portfolio, allowing it to focus on
its core chemicals and pharmaceuticals businesses.
Eastman Chemical has extended its agreement with Johnson Matthey
subsidiary Alfa Aesar in a move that will for the first time make
its proprietary BoPhoz catalyst ligands available in research
quantities.
Germany's KGaA has announced plans to sell off its laboratory
distribution business VWR International and operate as a smaller,
higher-margin business focused on pharmaceuticals, chemicals and
liquid crystals.
Scientists in South Korea have isolated stem cells from a cloned
human embryo for the first time, bringing the use of cell- or
tissuse-based therapies for treating disease a step nearer. But the
work has also re-ignited the controversy...
Earlier this week, the US Food and Drug Administration suspended
the approval of a generic version of Pfizer's high blood pressure
drug Norvasc (amlodipine besylate) developed by India's Dr Reddy's
Laboratories. The...
Fisher Scientific International has swooped on two companies
providing tools for life sciences companies in a move designed to
boost its product range for research laboratories and
biopharmaceutical production.
Molecular Devices has introduced what it claims is the first liquid
handling system that can dispense fluid into and wash the full
range of 96-, 384- and 1536-well microplates.
