Argonaut sells its HPLC business to Grace Vydac as it refocuses on
supplying consumables for companies working on drug discovery.
Reports reduced losses in first half.
German researchers have developed a technique to speed up the
discovery of medicinal plant compounds, using a combination of
three analysis techniques.
Degussa has acquired a stake in a company specialising in ionic
liquids, an innovative technology that could provide a greener
alternative to commonly used volatile organic solvents in the
manufacture of pharmaceuticals.
Alfa Laval and Millipore are to work together to supply tools for
the recovery of biopharmaceutical proteins generated by cell
culture and fermentation.
Pliva has continued its rapid expansion with the opening of a new
R&D facility in the USA that will carry out formulation work on
generic pharmaceuticals.
Amersham trimmed its 2003 profit forecast by £40 million (€57m), or
4.1 pence per share, after reporting lower sales and pre-tax
profits for the first half of 2003.
EPIDAUROS Biotechnologie has acquired a non-exclusive licence for
the diagnostic use of one of the most important genetic variants of
the cytochrome P450 2D6 gene.
Vencor has launched a range of chemical taggants that can be used
to provide secure identification of products, including drugs and
speciality chemicals.
DSM reports a disappointing set of second quarter results and says
it is unlikely to meet its 2002 operating profit level this year;
the group blames weaker demand for its products and negative
currency factors. Restructuring drive...
Scientists have developed a way of making proteins in sugarcane
that they claim will be safe and less expensive than transgenic
approaches using animals.
LGC has acquired Germany's Mikromol, a specialist in pharmaceutical
impurities and metabolites used as reference materials, to create
its first non-UK lab.
Australian dairy farmers could become major suppliers of
pharmaceutical-grade lactose, if a new technology developed at the
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation can be
exploited commercially.
Neo Pharma becomes the first company to start manufacturing
pharmaceuticals in Abu Dhabi. The company's facility offers both
production and R&D capabilities.
Procter & Gamble has patented a new formulation of risedronate
that overcomes the upper gastrointestinal side effects that can
occur with the osteoporosis drug.
Tecan second-quarter results reveal some signs of recovery after a
torrid first quarter and the departure of former chief executive
Emile Sutcliffe, with diagnostics holding back an improved
performance in biopharma.
Applied Biosystems has unveiled a gene expression analysis product
that allows researchers to conduct studies on the entire human
genome using a single microarray.
Italy's Abiogen Pharma has licensed rights to two UK-developed
compounds that seem to work via a completely new mechanism of
action for the treatment of anxiety.
The pharmaceutical industry is failing to increase efficiencies in
core areas of its business - such as clinical trials and sales -
because of an enormous pressure from investors to drive revenues,
according to Datamonitor.
The difficulties facing Lonza came into clear focus today as the
company published its half-year results, with sales down across its
custom manufacturing, organic chemicals and polymers businesses.
Emisphere Technologies has demonstrated effective oral delivery of
protein-based drugs in three studies presented at the Controlled
Release Society's annual meeting.
Chemical major BASF has expanded the range of products it offers to
pharmaceutical clients with the $65 million (€58m) purchase of
Callery Chemical from Mine Safety Appliances.
Enanta has discovered a type of macrolide that could represent a
new class of antibiotic for the treatment of upper and lower
respiratory tract infections.
The market for non-array products used in the analysis of the
transcriptome - a map of gene expression and mRNA in the cell - is
maturing quickly but will still grow at more than 14 per cent a
year between 2003 and 2008, says a report...
Therascope, a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused on
small molecule drug discovery, has raised €24.1 million to develop
its TACE platform.
UK software company Intelligensys has launched a new product that
promises a step forward in the application of artificial
intelligence technologies to pharmaceutical formulation and design.
LipoCore's Galacticle delivery technology is to be the subject of a
feasibility study at one of the largest multinational drug
manufacturers in the autumn
Switzerland's Tecan has forged a co-marketing alliance with EMD
Biosciences in the area of automated systems for medium- to
high-throughput protein extraction, screening and purification. The
collaboration will focus on companies...
Caliper Technologies has completed its $71 million (€61m)
acquisition of Zymark, a privately held provider of laboratory
automation, liquid handling and robotics systems.
There is a growing reliance on the use of tissue microarrays to
accelerate the examination of histological samples used in drug
discovery, according to a new report from BioInformatics.
Roche's Burgdorf plant making insulin pumps has serious regulatory
compliance problems, said the FDA, which could block import of the
products unless resolved.
Scotland's PPL has started a mass slaughter of its flock of sheep
engineered to produce alpha-1 antitrypsin in their milk. The cull
could spell the end of the firm's ambitions in transgenic
production.
