GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has asked vaccine developing firm Antigenics
to supply it with more of its QS-21 adjuvant as its vaccines
progress in the pipeline, while at the same the British drug giant
is pushing ahead with its own adjuvant,...
Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in Europe are
struggling to differentiate their capabilities and compete in an
outsourcing market suffering from overcapacity, diminishing
profitability and threats from Asia.
An enzyme-based process operated by Lonza for the production of the
major chiral building block for Pfizer's Lipitor, the world's best
selling drug, has won its designer Codexis a top green chemistry
award for its high yield,...
SR Pharma has recruited Genzyme, BioSpring and OctoPlus to
formulate and manufacture its lead RNAi therapeutic product Atu027
to good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards, as its liposomal
drug delivry system moves forward.
Tate and Lyle has announced the launch of Meritab - a new direct
compressible dextrose - that allows pharma tablet manufacturers to
stop using wet granulation processes, and so offers a cost
effective and simplified production process.
The sale of Clariant's Pharmaceutical Fine Chemicals (PFC) to
equity firm Towerbrook for around SFr110m (€70m) has been completed
and the unit, now called Archimica, is determined to dominate the
pharma raw materials market.
A dry powder nasal flu vacccine is being hailed by its developers
at DelSite Biotechnologies as a unique storage solution, providing
delivery advantages over traditional flu vaccines in the event of a
bird flu pandemic.
Sanofi pasteur's vaccine manufacturing plant in Pennsylvania, where
half of America's influenza vaccines are made, has been served with
a warning letter by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA),
asking for measures to...
Specialty chemicals firm Degussa has launched a new hydrophobic
silica excipient which is particularly suitable for very
hygroscopic and cohesive powders as it can significantly improve
powder flow.
Lipoxen have developed a new vaccine technology that it claims will
pave the way for more effective and safer vaccines and greater
manufacturing flexibility. They are now using the technology to
make the world's first hepatitis...
Alpharma has asked one of the largest manufacturers of bulk active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in China, Zhejiang Hisun
Pharmaceutical, to help it double its capacity of making
vancomycin.
Biopharmaceutical firm Protherics has acquired a new adjuvant from
Dutch company CoVaccine that it will use for its hypertension
vaccine, hoping to boost antibody production by tenfold.
Danish biotechnology firm Novozymes has acquired Delta
Biotechnology from sanofi-aventis, looking to strengthen its
bioprocessing expertise in enzymes and microorganisms with Delta's
ability to manufacture recombinant proteins...
The first ever monoclonal antibody obtained starting from
transgenic plants with the purpose of purifying a human vaccine has
been registered with Cuban authorities, meaning cigars may not be
the only application the country's...
Biotechnology firm SR Pharma has announced a technical breakthrough
in the formulation of siRNA drugs, enabling them to be stored at
room temperature and reconstituted in one simple step, thus
extending shelf life and making administration...
Fonterra, New Zealand's biggest company, has received a green light
from the European Commission to join with Dutch dairy group Campina
to sell lactose to the pharma industry.
BASF has announced it has managed to produce the chemical
intermediate N-ethyldiisoproylamine (EDIPA), also known as Huenig's
base, at a purity of at least 99.5 per cent, helping manufacturers
to stay clear from undesirable side...
After receiving a grant of $3.9m (€3m) from the US government,
British biotechnology firm Avecia has put together a consortium of
four companies to develop a version of its anthrax vaccine with
increased stability so it works without...
US biotechnology firm Bio-Bridge Science, whose ambition is to
develop an HIV vaccine, has finished major construction of a good
manufacturing practice (GMP) research and manufacturing facility in
Beijing.
Biotechnology firm Gilead has acquired Raylo Chemicals, a Canadian
production unit of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and
advanced intermediates, from Degussa for €115m, seeking to bring
more manufacturing capacity and expertise...
Looking to add active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and
intermediates to its Chinese portfolio, Degussa has acquired a
majority stake in the Chinese fine chemicals firm Lynchem, allowing
it to target the pharma industry more competitively.
Major drug companies across the US are in process of reformulating
their over-the-counter cold medications in time for a new law that
comes in to effect later this year restricting the sale of drugs
that contain pseudoephedrine.
Bioxel, a company which manufactures and markets taxane active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) used in chemotherapeutic drugs,
has turned to two contract manufacturing companies to scale up
production.
SAFC Supply Solutions has introduced new phosphoramidites and
ancillary reagents for oligonucleotide (oligo) synthesis, promising
consistent quality, tight specifications and reliability.
BASF is targeting the pharma industry at ChemSpec this June with
new intermediates, catalysts and raw materials that promise to make
customers' syntheses less complex and time-consuming as well as
more cost-effective.
The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has given Sanofi Pasteur the
green light to market a childhood vaccine containing Delta's
Recombumin, a recombinant human albumin which offers the world's
first and only animal-free alternative...
Phosphagenics is constructing a new tocopheryl phosphates
manufacturing plant in Melbourne, Australia - a project that paves
the way for future licensing agreements and could encourage the use
of its technology in more nutraceutical...
Specialty chemicals group H&R Wasag witnessed tremendous growth
in the first quarter of 2006, as stable crude oil prices allowed it
to increase prices and volumes in the pharmaceutical raw materials
it sells.
Under pressure to ensure cheap supplies of its flu drug in Africa
in preparation for a possible avian influenza, Roche has asked
contract manufacturer Aspen Pharmacare to produce finished doses of
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) in Africa.
SAFC Biosciences has unveiled an analogue of insulin specifically
designed for the large-scale manufacturing of recombitant
biopharmaceuticals, promising security of supply and product
consistency.
Chemicals and nutrition group DSM has reported strong profits for
the first quarter in 2006, including in its pharma business, as
higher prices and lower costs have helped it overcome the increase
in raw material costs.
Targeting the market for enantiomerically pure drugs, SAFC, a
custom manufacturing group within Sigma-Aldrich, has acquired
Honeywell International's Iropharm unit in Arklow, Ireland.
While European producers of active pharmaceutical ingredients
(APIs) will see their share of the global market fall in the next
few years, Asian markets are growing at phenomenal rates, with
India set to supplant Italy as the second...
German chemicals giant BASF saw its profits surge in the first
quarter of 2006 on the back of high oil and gas prices, yet its
fine chemicals unit was hit by the increased cost of raw materials
and energy, making further price increases...
Contract manufacturer Dalton has announced the completion of its
oligonucleotide (oligos) manufacturing facility, in a $500,000
(€400,000) investment drive to dominate pilot and large-scale DNA
and RNA oligo synthesis.
The UK's chemical industry has given a cautious welcome to the
government's national allocation plan (NAP) for Phase 2 of the EU
Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), warning pharma could see a rise in
the price of active pharmaceutical...
Chemicals firm Lonza has vowed to spend $200m (€160m) over the next
few years to expand in southern China, further limiting its
dependence on external suppliers of intermediates and active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
Determined to focus on its fuels and lubricant additives business,
specialty chemical firm Lubrizol has sold its active pharmaceutical
ingredient (API) and intermediate compounds division to Auctus, a
German private equity firm.
Agilent Technologies has stepped out of its comfort zone to pursue
a new line of business in ribonucleic acid (RNA) production, with
the recent acquisition of SynPro.
American chemists have found that seeds of the sweetgum fruit
contain significant amounts of shikimic acid, the main starting
material for Tamiflu, in a discovery that could prove vital, as
demand for the drug skyrockets amidst bird...
Melbourn Scientific, report an eventful month in which the
expansion of its range of services has resulted in the purchase of
new premises, as well as meeting requirements of good manufacturing
practice that regulate the manufacture...
Level and flow measurement product providers, Krohne, were out in
force at Interphex 2006, showcasing a raft of products for the
manufacturing industry. Its presence within the pharma and chemical
industry has been boosted recently...
Despite hurdles such as manufacturing overcapacity, limited drug
approvals and intense competition from Asian companies, a new
report from market research analysts Frost & Sullivan predicts
revenues in the North American fine...
The US Congress has asked the country's National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to conduct research on the
connection between vaccines containing mercury and neurological
disorders, further battering public...
Chemical manufacturing giant BASF is building an alkylethanolamine
(AEOA) plant at its US site in Louisiana, as increasing American
demand pushes the company to increase worldwide production
capacities for these important intermediates...
Swiss outsourcing company Lonza has granted biotechnology firm
Genentech a non-exclusive, worldwide license to their Glutamine
Synthetase (GS) Gene Expression System which offers better yields,
speed and stability in cell protein...
Chemical company BASF has developed a process for the production of
new chiral intermediates for the pharmaceutical industry on a
commercial scale, further raising the product efficiency of drugs
and reducing undesirable effects.
Supplier of small-scale pharmaceutical equipment Isopak has
launched what it claims is the smallest vacuum mixer with cooling
and heating facilities in Europe for mixing dry powder, cream,
ointments, paste and lotions in batches between...
