GSK has opened a new high-throughput chemistry facility at its
Harlow research centre in Essex, UK, that it hopes will allow it to
cut down its drug development time by around two years. This and
other automation projects at the company...
Emerson Process Management has won a contract from Celltrion to
automate the first large scale biopharmaceuticals manufacturing
facility in South Korea.
An escalation in drug discovery activities in the Asia Pacific
region is likely to cause significant growth there for technologies
used in high-throughput screening, according to a new report.
Galapagos Genomics has published details of its RNAi-based gene
silencing technology, based on adenovirus vectors, that is
effective in a range of cell types.
Klöckner Pentaplast says it is currently installing rigid vinyl
film production capacity at its subsidiary, Pentaplast do Brasil,
with production set to start in the New Year.
Meridica has licensed its newly-designed Xcelovair dry powder
inhaler (DPI) to Pfizer in what amounts to something of a coup for
the small UK start-up.
French researchers have used a molecular scale imaging tool to
track for the first time the movements of individual receptors
within the membranes of cells over several minutes.
UK-based BioProgress has elected to sell the rights to one of its
NROBE non-gelatine film technologies to FMC BioPolymer after
deciding that the program would benefit from being in the hands of
a bigger partner.
US life science chemicals company Cambrex has altered the terms of
its agreement to sell Rutherford Chemicals and will make a slightly
higher loss on the new transaction.
Advanced Labelling Systems (ALS) has launched the T-series tube
labeller, which is claimed to offer a cost effective alternative to
direct tube printing for pharmaceutical applications.
Sartorius North America and KMI/Parexel International have formed
an alliance that will improve the geographic reach of their
biopharmaceutical production and consultancy services.
Medarex of the USA, a specialist in producing fully-human
antibodies, has entered into two new agreements aimed at improving
the properties of its drug candidates.
Researchers have established the cause of the leukaemia which
developed in two young patients taking part in a pioneering gene
therapy trial to treat the fatal 'baby-in-a-bubble' syndrome.
Ambion has developed technique that allows easier monitoring of
short RNA sequences in a variety of sample types and is 100-500
more sensitive than Northern blot analysis.
Dutch pharmaceuticals, chemicals and coatings group Akzo Nobel has
reported a 23 per cent decline in third-quarter earnings, roughly
in line with expectations, on the back of continued pressure on its
pharmaceuticals division.
An alliance between two German companies - 4SC and SWITCH Biotech -
has been set up to focus on the discovery of small-molecule
compounds for the treatment of psoriasis.
Researchers have discovered the first gene that may play a direct
role in longevity by protecting against some of the most important
diseases of ageing, such as heart disease, diabetes and stroke.
Millipore has reported a hike in third quarter sales and profits on
the back of a revival in the biotechnology industry's fortunes, but
said this may not last to the end of the year.
Packaging is one of the last remaining unclaimed frontiers for
manufacturing companies and improving this function could save
millions of dollars a year, says 3M
A new product in BASF's Lµtrol range of poloxamer excipients,
designed to improve the solubility of poorly-soluble actives, will
be introduced at the CPhI exhibition.
The UK High Court has issued injunctions against a number of
individuals found to be involved in the harassment of staff working
for UK-based Japanese pharmaceutical companies.
Speedel reports progress in the development of potent,
orally-active renin inhibitors, a class which have yet to be
commercialised despite two decades of research.
Two UK companies have launched new products to seal the tops of
plates used in laboratories and prevent evaporation and
contamination of their contents.
Escalating inflation rates and price pressures are hitting the
profit margins of positive displacement pump manufacturers and
inhibiting R&D, says new study.
Ireland's Elan Corp has signed up another heavyweight partner -
Janssen - for its NanoCrystals technology, designed to improve the
solubility of drug compounds.
The market for retractable syringes designed to prevent needlestick
injuries is set for explosive growth and could expand nearly
seven-fold by 2006, according to a new report.
France's BioProtein Technologies, a biotechnology company
specialising in the production of therapeutic proteins in the milk
of transgenic rabbits, has extended its biomanufacturing services
to include recombinant vaccine production.
Switzerland's Roche is subject to a fresh legal challenge over its
patent position in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, this
time from Applera unit Applied Biosystems.
Chugai says it is building facilities that will give it the largest
bioreactor capacity for biologicals production - at 85,000L - of
any company in the world by 2007.
Sweden's Pyrosequencing has entered into an agreement to buy
prification and separation specialist Biotage, a subsidiary of Dyax
of the USA, for $35 million.
DPS Engineering, an Irish engineering firm which specialises in
providing services to the pharmaceutical sector says it is planning
to create 250 jobs over the next five years as it continues a major
growth phase in its business in...
Evotec OAI and Biofrontera Pharmaceuticals have entered into a
co-marketing and distribution agreement to offer natural compound
libraries for drug discovery.
Germany's Merck has introduced a new process media for the capture
of viruses, proteins, antibodies and DNA that has significant
advantages over other sorbents.
Ipsat Therapies has completed a Phase I trial of a novel approach
to preventing bacterial resistance by de-activating antibiotics in
the gastrointestinal tract.
Research conducted at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory has
suggested that microRNA (miRNA) - small nucleic acid sequences of
20-24 nucleotides that do not code for proteins - in fact play a
key role in gene expression.
Juvantia Pharma identifies small-molecule inhibitors of two forms
of the somatostatin receptor - subtypes 1 and 4 - with potential in
a wide range of disease indications.
Inamed has signed up Bayer BP for its computer-controlled AKITA
inhaler, designed to improve respiratory treatment by tailoring the
delivery of inhaled drugs.
Natoli launches a new software package designed to make designing
tablets easier, quicker and more accurate; also unveils an
automatic tablet punch polisher.
