Fine chemicals firm Degussa has decided to spin off its NCN
business in Bavaria into a new legal entity known as AlzChem
Trostberg, hoping a new name will lead to new opportunities.
With the first clinical trial of its cell culture-based seasonal
influenza vaccine commencing in the US, Sanofi Pasteur has
demonstrated the production scale potential of a cell line in a
successful bioreactor run of 20,000L.
The use of synthetic DNA formed into crosses can produce
biodegradable and inexpensive hydrogels that have applications in
the controlled release of drugs, new research indicates.
Sterling Biotech has emerged as the world's second largest gelatine
producer after making its first international foray to acquire the
gelatine manufacturing facility of Chinese firm China Gelatin.
The UK subsidiary of Nicholas Piramal (NPIL) is working on a new
catalyst-based racemisation technology called SCRAM that delivers
significantly improved process yields in the production of chiral
amines and alcohols, cutting cost...
Ferro Pfanstiehl Laboratories has commissioned a new validated
current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) supercritical
fluid-based particle engineering pilot facility, offering sizing,
purification and formulation services to its...
Moving from egg-based production of vaccines to the use of
cell-culture technologies in existing manufacturing plants is
cheaper and quicker than building new facilities to handle a flu
pandemic within the next five years, new research...
Canadian firm Bioxel has manufactured the first industrial-scale
current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) batch of its key
intermediate for docetaxel, the active pharmaceutical ingredient
(API) of Sanofi-Aventis's blockbuster...
The European Union (EU) has been criticised for being more
favourable to big biotech companies, at the expense of smaller
firms, according to consultants within the industry.
Europe's fine chemical suppliers cannot beat their Asian
competitors in their own game and must seek an advantage through
restructuring, innovation and specialisation in niche markets, a
new report by Frost & Sullivan advises.
Chinese researchers may have solved the problem of vaccine shortage
in the event of an avian influenza pandemic after a clinical trial
showed that their formulation containing the whole H5N1 virus
instead of virus particles resulted...
Wyeth has entered into a global agreement that allows it to use
Intracell's synthetic adjuvant IC31 in the formulation of five of
its investigational vaccines, aiming to simply mix it with antigens
without the need for conjugation.
Silicon-based micro-machined devices for the controlled delivery of
oral therapeutics, developed by Tejal Desai from the University of
California, have won first prize at the 2006 Eurand Award
Programme, impressing with their ability...
Biotechnology firm Codexis says it has reached an important
development milestone in its effort to design a biocatalytic
process to produce a key intermediate for a Schering-Plough drug,
reducing manufacturing costs and environmental...
Britain's manufacturers of tailor-made non-licensed medicines are
working on establishing a unique supply agreement with major drug
firms that could serve as a model worldwide for the production of
drugs that meet the specialised...
Danish biopharmaceutical firm Bavarian Nordic has received approval
from Denmark's government to begin large-scale commercial
production of smallpox vaccine based on its Modified Vaccinia
Ankara (MVA) virus strain which demonstrates...
Researchers gathered in the south of France to discuss how the
pharmaceutical industry can embrace lipid-based drug delivery as a
viable alternative to traditional formulation approaches.
Portuguese drug producers are small and need to merge or form
alliances to compete at a global level, investing more in
innovation and increasing their competitiveness like custom
manufacturer Hovione has done, a new report by market...
In an attempt to counter competition in generic active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from Asian manufacturers, BASF
has decided to downscale production at its Minden production site,
implementing a restructuring programme that...
US generic drugmaker Mylan has agreed to spend around $736m
(€573.4m) to acquire a controlling stake in Matrix, an Indian
manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and solid
oral dosage forms, as relentless competition...
In the first drug master file (DMF) approval of its kind, the US
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sale of
metformin hydrochloride tablets which are produced by an Indian
company using a pharmaceutical formulation...
Canadian contract manufacturer Patheon has teamed up with specialty
pharmaceutical firm Depomed to offer its clients a controlled
release formulation which can grant their drugs increased
bioavailability and less frequent dosing.
Industrial enzyme maker Novozymes is seeking to strengthen its
presence in the biopharmaceutical market by offering to acquire
Australian biotechnology firm Gropep for AUD83.6m (€49.6m), eager
to become a supplier of recombinant ingredients...
Strong demand for anti-cancer cytotoxic active pharmaceutical
ingredients (APIs) has led Nicholas Piramal (NPIL) Pharma to
upgrade infrastructure and hire more staff at its high potency
substances (HPS) facility in Grangemouth.
Despite its consolidation, the competitive consumable sector still
offers potential for rapid growth and better profits in the
biopharmaceutical industry, while contract bioprocessing services
will be increasingly in demand, according...
Newly-approved pearlescent pigments that can produce sparkly
metallic, satiny and shimmery finishes on drug coatings could be
used as one additional step in the fight against counterfeiting,
say its developers, EMD Chemicals - part...
Albany Molecular Research (AMRI) has announced a multi-year drug
substance manufacturing agreement with New River Pharmaceuticals,
as its attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medicine
looks set to hit the market.
Spurred on by the frustration of drug manufacturers, governors from
four US states have petitioned the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) for clarity in their requirements for the production of
generic versions of insulin and human...
India's potential to further boost its already dominant role in
global generics production, as well as an offshore location of
choice for contract manufacturing, presents an opportunity worth an
estimated $48bn (€38bn) in 2007,...
US biotech firm Genzyme has been given a green light by the US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin manufacturing its kidney
drug at its Waterford facility in Ireland.
When selecting a pharmaceutical formulation, the conventional
wisdom has been to manipulate a drug delivery platform to make it
compatible with a drug's properties, yet the opposite approach may
have several benefits if enough...
The excipients used in a protein formulation and the method of
production can impact not just the physical and chemical stability
of biologics but also their in vitro and in vivo
performance, cautions Durect's executive director...
The global demand for virgin activated carbon is tipped to rise
five per cent per year to reach 1.2m metric tons by 2010, fuelled
by increased use in the pharmaceutical sector.
Pharmaceutical excipients can have a profound impact on the release
profile of drugs, driving fine chemical companies to raise their
game since they realise their clients see excipients as more than
inactive ingredients.
Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) has invested $100m to expand its
manufacturing plant in Singapore, bringing the drug giant's
investment in this budding region to over S$1bn (€0.5bn).
Are big pharma companies uninterested in supporting novel
formulations, preferring to stick to low-risk drug delivery
systems, or are they resourceful innovators that bring new
technologies to the market? Two pharma grandees holding...
Cambrex's Q2 results show that the life sciences firm is slowly
making a comeback after being crushed by a $140.3m (€116.7m) loss
in Q4, however, it has failed to completely stem the bleed from its
Biopharma unit, blamed for...
Even with the most advanced analytical equipment, elucidating the
complete conformational characteristics of proteins still
represents mission impossible, often making their formulation
problematic, yet there are always ways to improve...
Most pharmaceutical companies know little about how to make
biopharmaceuticals on a large scale and so they need to develop
in-house expertise as well as outsource several steps in their
production chain, advises the head of chemistry...
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said it has developed a vaccine against the
H5N1 bird flu strain that can trigger an immune response at a much
lower dose than other vaccines in development.
Aegis Therapeutics has unveiled a new formulation technology
employing non-toxic excipients that maintain the physical stability
and physiological activity of protein and peptide therapeutics
while reducing immunogenicity.
In a controversial move, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
has given the final nod of approval to pharma companies who want to
add colourful pearlescent pigments to their drugs to give them that
"special something."
Israeli biopharma firm Kamada will manufacture transferrin for an
undisclosed European pharma firm embarking on the first ever
clinical trials of a drug that includes the substance.
Chugai Pharmaceutical has decided to manufacture a modified version
of Roche's Tamiflu (oseltamivir) in a dry syrup formulation which
can be stored at room temperature after the bottle is opened,
allowing for more storage capacity...
Pfizer has issued another recall for packs of its blockbuster
cholesterol drug Lipitor after UK regulators found evidence of more
counterfeit product in the legitimate supply chain from a batch
whose withdrawal was supposed to have...
Specialty chemicals firm Cognis has received good manufacturing
practice (GMP) certification for its production of pharmaceutical
excipients in Germany, the first chemical company in the world to
do so but certainly not the last.
Indian custom chemical synthesis firm Denisco has opened up shop in
the US to capitalise on the growing demand in North America for
high-quality, low-cost complex organic molecules.
