Drug Delivery

UK gives green light to stem cell research

13-Aug-2004 - Researchers at Newcastle's Centre for Life have been given the go-ahead to create stem cells from unfertilised human eggs, thought to be the first time that such a license has been granted in Europe.

New code reader handles broad symbology range

11-Aug-2004 - Absolute Vision of the UK has unveiled a new hand-held code reader that can be used for conventional barcodes, the new reduced space symbology (RSS) code and two-dimensional data matrix markings.

Bristol-Myers pay $150m fine

06-Aug-2004 - US pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) is to pay $150 million (€122 million) to settle an investigation in which regulators claimed the company gave investors an inaccurate representation of its financial performance by manipulating figures.

Teikoku revolutionises counterfeit-proof packaging

06-Aug-2004 - Japan-based engineering firm Teikoku Piston Ring has developed a hologram identification label that brings anti-counterfeiting packaging to new levels.

Styrolux price hike blamed on raw material increases

05-Aug-2004 - Chemical giant BASF has increased the prices for its plastic material Styrolux by €200 per metric ton in Europe as of 1 August, blaming the rising cost of raw materials.

Bradman Lake sets up one-stop-shop

05-Aug-2004 - Two UK packaging machinery engineers, Autowrappers and Europack, have been bought by Bradman Lake to create a packaging company that can supply a full range of machinery and compete with the big players in the pharmaceutical and food sectors.

The new generation of engraving laser filters

04-Aug-2004 - The advent of smaller, less expensive marking and engraving lasers means that packaging firms can expect better performances, claims Purex marketing manager Jon Young. But in all cases, some form of fume extraction system is still required.

NTRAC awards UK's first drug R&D grants

02-Aug-2004 - The first grants given in the UK for drug development in early phase clinical experiments have been awarded to gene therapy trials that may herald a breakthrough in intra-abdominal cancer which has an average survival rate of less than 12 months.

Drug firms fund for animal experiments

30-Jul-2004 - In a defiant gesture to animal activists, Britain's pharmaceutical companies have joined forces to launch a £4m research fund to finance animal experiments in universities.

Zebra launches first XML-enabled RFID solution

29-Jul-2004 - Zebra Technologies has launched what it claims is the first Extensible Markup Language (XML)-enabled bar code and RFID smart label printing solution.

Celera and Merck in drug discovery deal

28-Jul-2004 - Celera Diagnostics announced it has entered into a collaboration with Merck to identify novel targets for drug discovery and diagnostic markers related to Alzheimer's disease.

X-ray system tackles pharma packaging

20-Jul-2004 - Newly-formed joint venture InspX has launched an X-ray system that it claims can monitor packaged products for foreign material contamination faster than any other product on the market.

Casepacker for drugs unveiled

19-Jul-2004 - Packaging machinery company Thiele Technologies has launched an automatic packer system that is specifically designed for use by the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Upgradeable RFID bundle launched by ADT

15-Jul-2004 - ADT Security Services has developed a radiofrequency identification (RFID) system aimed at providing manufacturers with an upgradeable solution for meeting the implementation goals set by Wal-Mart and other leading retailers.

Drug discovery market evolving, says new research

15-Jul-2004 - The market for the tools and services in combinatorial chemistry and high-throughput screening approached $3 billion in 2003 (€2.43bn), but a new set of challenges is shifting customers' focus, according to a new study.

Sun's European RFID centre refocused before launch

13-Jul-2004 - Sun Microsystems has delayed the opening of a centre in Scotland that will allow European companies interested in exploring the use of radiofrequency identification technology a base for pilot projects.

Sensitech expands in Europe with Check-It buy

07-Jul-2004 - US company Sensitech has bought a Danish firm that shores up its position in temperature and humidity monitoring of supply chains and expands its presence into the European market.

New temp-tracking RFID label from KSW

05-Jul-2004 - German radio frequency identification technology company KSW Microtec is gearing up to launch a new RFID label for tracking supply chain integrity for pharmaceuticals, blood bags and perishable foods.

Cell-based Parkinson's therapy gets charity boost

02-Jul-2004 - A research team based in Sweden is benefiting from a medical charity grant of $3 million (€2.5m) that will help it develop a new cell-based therapy for Parkinson's. Current therapies can only ameliorate the symptoms of the disease.

Pfizer hit by fresh counterfeit Viagra scam

01-Jul-2004 - Pfizer's position as the number one drugmaker in the world with a stable of blockbuster medications makes it a prime target for the drug counterfeiters, and one of its most copied products is the notorious impotence drug Viagra (sildenafil).