Breaking News on Pharmaceutical Technology

Pressure to cut jobs feeds demand for more efficient equipment

29-Jun-2009 - Equipment that enables cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies to reduce headcount and save floor space is in high demand as pressure to cut costs mounts.

OctoPlus’ trial materials plant open for business

25-Jun-2009 - Dutch biopharmaceuticals producer OctoPlus has begun manufacturing operations at its new facility in Leiden, the Netherlands.

Azopharma expands cytotoxics capacity

24-Jun-2009 - US contractor Azopharma has added new GMP quality cytotoxics and high-potency manufacturing capacity at its facility in Hollywood, South Florida in a bid to strengthen its position in the trial materials sector.

Helsinn plans for HPAPI manufacture

23-Jun-2009 - Swiss drugmaker Helsinn has unveiled plans to add high-potency API R&D and manufacturing capacity to its facility in Biasca in the south of the country.

Emisphere partners for oral delivery

23-Jun-2009 - Emisphere has entered into a research agreement with Syracuse University, which will combine their respective oral drug delivery technologies to enhance absorption of an appetite-suppressing hormone.

Automation market to reach $3bn by 2012

18-Jun-2009 - Automation expenditures in pharma manufacturing are predicted to reach $3bn (€2.15bn) by 2012 because companies must invest in the current “adapt or die” environment, according to a report.

Large pharmas turning to 3PL to cut costs

17-Jun-2009 - Large pharma companies will increase the level of supply chain activities they outsource in the next few years but smaller businesses are predicted to keep them in-house, according to a report.

News in brief

PSS expanding cGMP storage facility

17-Jun-2009 - Precision Stability Storage (PSS) is expanding its cGMP storage facility in Wilson, North Carolina, doubling its size and adding a room for bulk powder and liquid sampling and dispensing.

News in brief

RSSL rolls out Responsible Persons training programme

16-Jun-2009 - UK group RSSL has launched a Responsible Persons (RP) programme to help meet growing demand for EC directive 2001/83/EC trained staff.

Nanotech deal to boost oral bioavailability

16-Jun-2009 - Yissum is collaborating with Aurum, Ventures MKI to develop a nanotechnology controlled release delivery platform, which is designed to increase the bioavailability of orally administered lipophilic drugs.

Cell culture H1N1 vacc could be ready in 3 months

15-Jun-2009 - Industry response to the H1N1 pandemic suggests that cell culture vaccine production is about to come of age with two firms that use the technique, Novartis and Baxter, claiming it will cut development and manufacturing timelines by months.

SA API importer accused of fraud

11-Jun-2009 - A South African importer of APIs that claimed to have deals with Pfizer, Teva and Merck & Co is accused of fraud, with investigators likening the case to Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.

Syntagon “cuts out middlemen” with China office

09-Jun-2009 - Swedish CRO Syntagon has set up an office in Shanghai, China to forge stronger links with a broader range of local raw materials suppliers, saving its customers time and money.

Kemwell & Boehringer collaborate on biologics

09-Jun-2009 - CMO Kemwell is receiving technical assistance from Boehringer Ingelheim for the construction of its new biotech facility, which is designed to marry European technology with Indian low cost manufacturing.

Corden cuts manufacturing in Cork

08-Jun-2009 - Ireland’s API manufacturing sector suffered a blow on Friday with Corden Pharmachem’s announcement that it is phasing-out manufacturing at its facility in Little Island, Cork.

News in brief

EC stops preparing excipient GMP directive

08-Jun-2009 - Following public consultation the European Commission (EC) has stopped the preparation of a directive on good manufacturing practices (GMP) for certain excipients.

RXi presents RNA delivery data

08-Jun-2009 - At TIDES 2009 RXi Pharmaceuticals presented preclinical data on its RNA technologies, including research into sdRNA that is delivered without a vehicle and undergoes spontaneous cellular uptake.

Synthetech profits rise but uncertainty lies ahead

04-Jun-2009 - Synthetech posted a $1.3m (€0.9m) operating profit in fiscal 2009, compared with a $1.1m (€770,000) loss the previous year, but warned that some biotechs and even major pharmas were cutting back.

Symyx launches CDMO

03-Jun-2009 - At BIO 2009 Symyx was promoting its new CDMO offering, which it believes meets a “real need in the industry” and can save clients time and materials by leveraging its prior knowledge.

Cambridge Theranostics makes bioavailable lycopene pill

03-Jun-2009 - UK researchers have boosted the bioavailability of the tomato skin extract lycopene and produced a pill that they claim can reduce “bad” LDL cholesterol by more than 90 per cent.

Researchers target siRNA delivery

02-Jun-2009 - The latest work on siRNA delivery is focused on in a special edition of Molecular Pharmaceutics, which details the techniques researchers are using to target cells and make more effective therapeutics.

SAFC partners to improve pharma raw material supply

02-Jun-2009 - SAFC is seeking to improve its large-scale supply of pharma raw materials through a partnership with Cherokee Pharmaceuticals, which will use its expertise to ensure the products meet cGMP standards.

Chocks away for nano prop delivery research?

01-Jun-2009 - US scientists at Harvard University’s Rowland Institute have described a way of making large numbers of controllable nano-propellers that, despite being at an early stage of development, may one day be used to deliver drugs.

Spire eyes solar nanoparticle cancer treatment

28-May-2009 - Spire has received a patent for its nanophotovoltaic devices, which it believes could be injected into a tumour, be activated by light and generate electric fields to disrupt the cancerous cells.