The Challenge of Change - Managing Excipients Control
Colorcon
19-Aug-2005 - US drug researchers have synthesised a new class of carbenes - molecules that have unusual carbon atoms - that is expected to have wide applications in the pharmaceutical industry, ultimately resulting in a reduction in the price of drugs.
18-Aug-2005 - Despite years of research, gene therapy has largely failed to live up to its promise as a targeted, specific and well-tolerated treatment approach.
16-Aug-2005 - French chemicals company Rhodia has effectively written off the value of its troubled Rhodia Pharma Solutions division in its second quarter accounts, giving it a book value of zero.
16-Aug-2005 - CyDex has won the first regulatory approval in Japan for a pharmaceutical product using its Captisol drug delivery technology designed to improve the delivery of insoluble and unstable active pharmaceutical ingredients.
16-Aug-2005 - Nektar Therapeutics is planning to buy fellow drug delivery specialist Aerogen for $32 million (€26m), boosting its position in respiratory technologies.
16-Aug-2005 - Micro-particle specialists, rap.ID, are set to expand its new laboratory premises to meet the demands of contamination-free particle identification. The move is in response to the increase in demand for qualified particle counts and identification in drug discovery.
15-Aug-2005 - Tripos introduces its LeadDiscovery program to accelerate the drug discovery process. The new program offers a method to develop novel preclinical compounds for customers in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
11-Aug-2005 - German specialty chemicals group, H&R Wasag, increased its sales and earnings in the first half of the year, helped by its in-house refinery operations that allow it to anticipate and react early to changing oil prices.
09-Aug-2005 - According to a new report, the advancement of ADME/Tox technologies will give rise to considerable time and cost savings as early screening and increasingly innovative solutions continue to underline the importance of this technology in drug development.
09-Aug-2005 - A chemically produced folate, said to be several times more bioavailable than folic acid and recently approved for food use in Europe, gives premium supplement makers a chance to differentiate from the commonly marketed form of the vitamin, says manufacturer Merck Eprova.
09-Aug-2005 - A team of materials scientists and biologists in the US say they have developed 'smart' bio-nanotubes that could be used to deliver a drug or gene to a particular location in the body.
08-Aug-2005 - Altana Chemie, the specialty chemicals unit of German pharmaceutical and chemicals company Altana, has said it plans to acquire Eckart for €630 million in cash, in what is the largest purchase in the company's history.
08-Aug-2005 - Researchers have discovered that a protein, which acts as a fundamental inhibitor of cell movement or migration, may be a likely target for new drug development aimed at decreasing tumour metastasis, or spread, throughout the body.
02-Aug-2005 - Surmodics has announced a collaborative partnership with CardioMind in which SurModics' Encore Drug Delivery Polymer Matrix will be used in conjunction with CardioMind's low-profile stent system for the treatment of coronary and peripheral artery disease.
02-Aug-2005 - Melbourn Scientific is to launch a new pharmacopeial test facility providing a range of contract analytical services to the pharmaceutical industry. The move comes in response to market demand.
01-Aug-2005 - UK processing and packaging machinery specialists, Isopak, have revealed promising results of its spiral jet mill which is set to give laboratories and R&D departments significant cost savings by decreasing the amount of product lost during the milling process.
29-Jul-2005 - MAP Pharmaceuticals has broadened its agreement with Elan Corp to develop improved formulations of respiratory drugs to include combination asthma treatments and inhaled drugs for other lung diseases.
28-Jul-2005 - Scientists have developed a nanoparticle that can penetrate a tumour, cut off its blood supply and release a lethal dose of anti-cancer toxins, while leaving healthy cells unscathed.
27-Jul-2005 - Dutch chemicals group DSM reported better than expected second quarter results today, as higher selling prices in its industrial chemicals unit and lower fixed costs boosted margins, write Dominique Patton and Phil Taylor.
26-Jul-2005 - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries continued its bid for world domination in the generic pharmaceuticals sector yesterday with a $7.4 billion cash and stock bid for US company Ivax, reports Phil Taylor.
26-Jul-2005 - Dutch pharmaceuticals and chemicals giant Akzo Nobel reported second-quarter sales of €3.34 billion, up 6 per cent from the comparable period in 2004, thanks to price increases that overcame flat volumes.
26-Jul-2005 - Acambis has commenced clinical trials of its investigational vaccine against Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) - a common hospital-acquired infection, in which a new virulent strain has emerged, causing sharp increases in the number of infections and associated deaths worldwide.
25-Jul-2005 - Scientists from the University of California have discovered three molecules that show great potential in the development of new Alzheimer's drugs. The new therapy targets a protein that accumulates in Alzheimer's victims effectively curing the patient.
25-Jul-2005 - UK company Diurnal has received orphan product designation from the European Commission for a novel treatment that uses a drug delivery technology to match the body's circadian rhythms.
22-Jul-2005 - Cardiff-based drug delivery company Q Chip has extended its collaborative research deal with Biocompatibles International, a medical device company focused on the treatment of cardiovascular disease, cancer and benign tumours.