Processing equipment

Demand for HPAPIs drives Patheon to invest $1m in UK facility

30-Jan-2014 By Dan Stanton

Increasing demand for HPAPIs has driven Patheon to invest in its Milton Park, UK manufacturing facility, the company says.

NW Bio prepares for large-scale manufacturing expansion

29-Jan-2014 By Zachary Brennan

Northwest Biotherapeutics has agreed with CMO Cognate Bioservices to begin a large-scale expansion of the manufacturing, storage, handling and distribution of its personalized immune therapies for solid tumor cancers.

500 jobs to go as Novartis plans to shutter NY Diovan facility

22-Jan-2014 By Dan Stanton

Novartis says it intends to shutter a New York manufacturing site due to reduced demand following the loss of exclusivity on its one-time topseller Diovan.

China OKs $13bn Life Tech takeover but insists on Thermo price cuts

15-Jan-2014 By Gareth Macdonald

Chinese authorities have given Thermo Fisher Scientific the green light to buy Life Technologies on the condition it discounts certain products sold in the coutry.

B-I's manufacturing network prepped as Actavis rolls out Micardis generic

09-Jan-2014 By Dan Stanton

Boehringer Ingelheim says it was well-prepared for the expiration of its blockbuster drug Micardis (telmisartan) with staff and capacity transfers as Actavis prepares to launch a generic version.

Novartis UK pulls kids' cough syrup after CMO reports packaging defect

16-Dec-2013 By Dan Stanton

Novartis has recalled 37 batches of over-the-counter (OTC) cough syrup after its contract manufacturer, BCM, detected a fault on a packaging line at its UK plant.

British manufacturing boosted by further GSK investments

11-Dec-2013 By Dan Stanton

GSK has committed itself to the UK for the long-term with an investment of £200m ($328m) across two of its manufacturing sites.

DSM's pharma products business wins allergy drug process dev contract

04-Dec-2013

Soon to be merged CMO DSM Pharmaceutical Products (DPP) has been contracted to provide process development for a protein allergy drug being developed by Tunitas Therapeutics.

Lilly invests across all insulin sites in prep for diabetes epidemic

20-Nov-2013 By Dan Stanton

Eli Lilly is investing over $700m (€518m) at a number of its insulin producing sites globally saying it is a response to the “growing diabetes epidemic.” 

GSK plans new Indian plant after wholesalers protesting DPCO stop buying

18-Nov-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

GSK has announced plans for a new manufacturing plant to "bring more medicines to the people of India" weeks after revealing that some drug wholesalers in the country have stopped buying its products.

Dispatches from AAPS

GEA: 'Start of the end' of batch manufacturing as firm teams with US FDA

13-Nov-2013 By Dan Stanton

The US FDA is working with GEA to validate continuous manufacturing as the pharma industry enters “the start of the end” for batch manufacturing, according to GEA.

Dispatches from AAPS

Spray drying often most applicable in bioavailability challenge, says Bend

12-Nov-2013 By Dan Stanton

There are multiple ways to make amorphous dispersions in order to enhance bioavailability but spray dry dispersion (SDD) is often the most applicable, Bend Research says.

Evonik ups HPAPI capability in Germany and US as oncology market grows

11-Nov-2013 By Dan Stanton

Evonik has upped its capabilities in highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPI) citing the increased market growth of oncology drugs.

Protein Sciences' efforts to expand approval for Flublok slowed by Shutdown

17-Oct-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

The US Government Shutdown has delayed the regulatory review of a new egg-free influenza vaccine production process developed by Protein Sciences.

MSD's API plant complements GSK acquisition, says Aspen

01-Oct-2013 By Dan Stanton

Aspen has acquired a Dutch API plant from MSD and a French sterile production site from GSK.

Sanofi expands African manufacturing capacity in Algeria

30-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Sanofi has begun construction of a $95m (€70m) dry and liquid pharmaceutical plant in Sidi Abdellah, Algeria.

Pfizer teams with GEA and G-CON to 'transform' oral solid dose industry

26-Sep-2013 By Dan Stanton

A collaboration to develop portable, flexible and continuous processing systems has the potential to transform oral solid dose (OSD) manufacturing, according to Pfizer, GEA and G-CON.

PTI 'Polishes-Up' Tablet Dedusting with Pharmaflex 750

24-Sep-2013 By Dan Stanton

Pharma Technology Inc. (PTI) says its new deduster offers tablet manufacturers more flexibility with greater residual powder being removed due to its polymer spiral.

Capsugel expands manufacturing capacity at three FDF plants

23-Sep-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Capsugel’s DFS Unit has upgraded three FDF (finished dose form) manufacturing facilities in the US and Europe.

More expansion at Cedarburg Hauser's WI API plant

18-Sep-2013

Cedarburg Hauser has ramped up production capacity at its API plant in Wisconsin, US citing customer demand.

Keeping Up With The News Vital For BioPharmas Says MIT Prof

11-Sep-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

Knowing about manufacturing innovations as soon as possible is more important for BioPharmas than for their small molecule counterparts according to an MIT Professor interviewed by our new sister site BioPharma-Reporter.com

PTI and Eximo Launch Techs to Deal with Pharma Dust

28-Aug-2013

Dust is rubbish, literally. And in a pharmaceutical plant it can also put employee health in danger and be the cause of product recalls.

Akorn Expands into Niche Generics with $640M Buy of Hi-Tech Pharmacal

28-Aug-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Akorn on Tuesday announced it will acquire specialty pharma manufacturer Hi-Tech Pharmacal for $640M in cash to expand its reach into niche generics.

Indian Generics Sector Growth Drives Manufacturing Innovation, says IBEF

20-Aug-2013

Growth of the generics sector in India is driving innovation among drug manufacturers according to a Government and Industry backed report.

Regeneron Pumps $80m into NY Plant to Support Demand and Pipeline

14-Aug-2013 By Dan Stanton

Regeneron says commercial demand and pipeline growth is driving the $80m (€60m) expansion of its New York manufacturing facility.

Hospira Heads in Right Direction but 483s and Warnings Still Coming

01-Aug-2013 By Dan Stanton

Hospira linked its improved Q2 results to progress made in efforts to address quality problems at various manufacturing plants, but the 483s and Warning Letters are still coming.

Pfizer Licenses Cell Line Tech from Lonza and BioWa

30-Jul-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

Newly rejigged Pfizer has licensed a cell line tech developed by Lonza and BioWa for use in its therapeutic antibody programme. 

Drug Pack Leak Test Firm Sepha Bought By Tasi

25-Jul-2013

Tasi Group has acquired pharmaceutical leak testing firm Sepha and plans to seek more customers overseas.

New Particle Tech May Let Formulators Cut Out Costly Lactose says Pulmatrix

24-Jul-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

Dry powder inhaler firms may soon be able to eliminate lactose from formulations if a new high dispersibility particle production platform is successful in trials.

Biopharma Companies Look to New Chromatography Columns

24-Jul-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Biopharma firms, particularly those producing insulin and five of its analogues, have another option in the market of sub-2 micron solid-core chromatography columns with a recent offering from Waters.

Roche to Build $106m Swiss Training Centre

18-Jul-2013 By Dan Stanton

Roche says increased staffing at its Swiss packaging hub has led to a CHF 100m ($106m) investment in a new training centre.

Plant Design Critical in Sterile Manufacturing, Expert Says

10-Jul-2013 By Dan Stanton

Rebuilding 'problem' sterile manufacturing plants to modern specifications may be a better option than spending money trying to fix them according to an ex-GSK expert.

Romaco Owner IPPT Buys IMA's Kilian Citing Tech and Asian Reach

02-Jul-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

IPPT has announced plans to buy tablet press maker Kilian for €21m from IMA citing the German firm’s patent portfolio and Asian reach as the key drivers.

Dispatches from DIA

US FDA-EMA QbD Harmonisation Pilot Progressing Slowly

27-Jun-2013 By Zachary Brennan

The parallel QbD (Quality by Design) application review program by the US FDA and EMA is slowly revealing the differences between the two agencies but will never result in identical assessments or outcomes, experts said.

Sanofi Proposes London Site as Science-Park as Manufacturing Ends

19-Jun-2013 By Dan Stanton

Sanofi has ended production at a historic London facility and says it plans to turn the site into a dedicated science park.

Issues with GSK's Bottle Manufacturer Leads to MHRA Ventolin Alert

18-Jun-2013 By Dan Stanton

A GlaxoSmithKline subsidiary has issued a recall of two batches of Ventolin syrup in the UK after glass fragments were found in some bottles.

ATMI Opens US Bio Development and Testing Lab

17-Jun-2013

ATMI has opened a development and testing lab in the US to let customers test its single-use production and technologies.

Cali Plant Remediation 'Impax' 110 Jobs, Mostly Manufacturing

06-Jun-2013 By Dan Stanton

Impax Laboratories says it remains committed to resolving manufacturing issues at its troubled Californian plant though 110 jobs will go as production continues to be transferred to Taiwan. 

DISPATCHES FROM INTERPHEX

Thermo Fisher: Single-Use Tech's Evolution and Increased Industry Use

29-May-2013 By Dan Stanton

Over the last decade single-use technologies have moved into manufacturing scales and are increasingly being deployed worldwide, according to Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Bioartificial Liver Project Looks to Disposable Bioreactors for Large Scale Cultures

22-May-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Disposable bioreactors could be the centerpiece of a project to develop and harvest large quantities of cells that eventually will be used in bioartificial livers for patients with severe liver failure.

Janssen's Manufacturing Problems May Lead to Criminal Charges in Korea

20-May-2013 By Dan Stanton

Though Janssen Korea says it is confident it will resolve its manufacturing issues, product recall and suspensions could be followed by lawsuits and imprisonment.

Pfizer Puts Lipitor Site Up For Sale as Patent Expiration Causes Over-Capacity

16-May-2013 By Dan Stanton

Lower sales of off-patent former blockbuster Lipitor have prompted Pfizer to try and sell off its third Irish API plant in as many years. 

West Adds Second Filling line in Prep for Future Crystal Zenith Boom

15-May-2013 By Dan Stanton

Extra filling capacity is to be made available in preparation for West’s Crystal Zenith (CZ) system, though approval and increased sales are still at least 18 months away.

Novo Nordisk $69m Plant Conversion For New Diabetes Drug

06-May-2013

Novo Nordisk says the $69 investment in its Danish plant will convert capacity ready for its new GLP-1 analogue and is a further commitment to Danish manufacturing.

Demand Across Biopharma Drives Goodwin and Coldstream ADC Partnership

02-May-2013 By Dan Stanton

Goodwin Biotechnology has teamed up with Coldstream Laboratories to offer clients ADC services as another example of biopharma demand driving contract manufacturing and development.

LIVE FROM INTERPHEX

Customers to Save up to 65% as ASI and Chromatan Pen Single-Use Deal

30-Apr-2013 By Dan Stanton

ASI has teamed up with Chromatan in order to deliver single-use and column-free capture purification services which could save clients 65% in chromatography costs in clinical manufacturing.

ATMI Adds New Single-Use Fill/Finish Tech in Deal with CMO D-Lab

18-Apr-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

ATMI has started selling a new cGMP-compliant fill finish platform in a continuation of its focus on what it says is the growing single-use tech market.

Update

Thermo Fisher Acquires Life Tech for $13.6B

15-Apr-2013 By Zachary Brennan

Thermo Fisher Scientific has agreed to purchase genetic testing equipment maker Life Technologies for $13.6B in one of the biggest acquisitions of the year.

GE and iBio Confirm Fiocruz Vaccine Plant Project and Predict Future Collaborations

11-Apr-2013 By Gareth Macdonald

GE Healthcare and iBio are in talks about future projects after confirming they are working on a plant-based vaccine manufacturing site for Brazilian drugmaker Fiocruz/Bio-Manguinhosin.

Alkermes Manufacturing Re-jig Will Cost Over 100 Irish Jobs

10-Apr-2013 By Dan Stanton

Alkermes says it intends to continue investing in its Irish facility although a restructuring plan will end some manufacturing operations and cost 130 jobs.