Breaking News on Pharmaceutical Technology

Cambrex operating income up 61% in Q2

06-Aug-2009 - Cambrex has posted a positive set of Q2 results, recording an operating income of $9m (€6.3m), but warned that the second half of the year is likely to be down on the corresponding six months of last year.

Ampac Fine Chemicals struggles in Q3

05-Aug-2009 - Ampac Fine Chemicals revenues fell by 20 per cent in Q3 as a result of a customer scaling back their order for central nervous system (CNS) products.

Positive Phase II for intranasal antiemetic

04-Aug-2009 - Shin Nippon Biomedical Laboratories (SNBL) has posted a positive first report on the Phase II trial of its intranasal antiemetic, which it claims is a more convenient treatment for cancer patients.

News in brief

URL acquires PharmaPro assets

04-Aug-2009 - URL Pharma has acquired a 19,000 sq ft facility equipped for development and manufacture of modified release products from PharmPro.

BioMarin: good news on Kuvan patents; bad news as costs hit Q2 profits

03-Aug-2009 - New US patents for the PKU drug Kuvan will “significantly strengthen” BioMarin’s position according to CEO Jean-Jacques Bienaime.

Medingo’s insulin patch approved; shares rocket

30-Jul-2009 - Medingo’s insulin dispensing patch has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), sending shares in its parent company soaring to a 12 month high.

News in brief

Diethyl glycol likely to have killed 25 children

29-Jul-2009 - Paracetamol tainted with diethyl glycol is thought to have killed up 25 children in Bangladesh, according to health officials in the country.

New liquid protein tech could improve drug delivery

28-Jul-2009 - Scientists at the University of Bristol in the UK and the Max Planck in Germany have developed the world’s first “liquid protein” that could have a big impact on the delivery of therapeutic proteins and high-potency pharmaceuticals.

Belgian authorities positive about NextPharma’s steriles unit

23-Jul-2009 - NextPharma Technologies’ development facility in Braine l’Alleud, Belgium has received positive early feedback following an inspection by the country’s drug watchdog, the AFMPS.

CML aims to be west’s biggest API maker with new plant

23-Jul-2009 - US group Cambridge Major Laboratories (CML) will begin transferring API production to its 125,000 sq ft manufacturing plant in Germantown, Wisconsin at the end of next month.

News in brief

Ampac Fine Chemicals get anti pollution gong

22-Jul-2009 - Ampac Fine Chemicals’ (AFC) anti pollution efforts have been recognised by Californian authorities for the third year running.

SAFC launches raw materials sourcing service for medical diagnostics

22-Jul-2009 - SAFC Supply Solutions has launched a new materials sourcing offering, designed to meet the medical diagnostics sector’s demand for raw materials that are compliant with international regulatory standards.

Nycomed to expand manufacturing operations in Russia

21-Jul-2009 - Swiss drugmaker Nycomed will invest $84m (€60m) in a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Russia, boosting its presence in the country.

News in brief

Construction begins at Viva Biopharma's US plant

20-Jul-2009 - Construction of Viva Biopharm USA’s $30m (€21m) drug manufacturing facility is under way in the latest stage of parent Viva Canada’s international expansion programme.

SAFC and SSB step towards “totally disposable factory”

16-Jul-2009 - SAFC’s bioscience unit and Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB) have teamed up to create a suite of fluid management solutions that they hope will prove irresistible to the booming biomanufacturing sector.

News in brief

Colorcon launches drug delivery substrate

09-Jul-2009 - Colorcon has launched a drug layering substrate, composed of uniform, free flowing pellets, which it claims has applications in multiparticulate drug delivery.

EC won’t revisit excipient GMP in short term; expert

09-Jul-2009 - There will be no major changes in the short term after the “surprise” decision by the EC to drop the directive about some excipients having to comply with GMP, according to a freelance consultant.

BASF expanding China JV

07-Jul-2009 - BASF and Sinopec are to invest $1.4bn (€1bn) in expanding their Chinese specialty chemical joint venture, adding 10 plants and increasing capacity at three existing sites.

Novasep buys to get big in bio

06-Jul-2009 - Novasep has bolstered its upstream processing capabilities by acquiring Henogen, a Belgium-based CMO that has biotech development and cGMP manufacturing expertise.

Dow to shut 3 US ethylene plants

02-Jul-2009 - Dow Chemical is closing three US manufacturing plants, including an ethylene production unit in Hahnville, Louisiana in a further bid to restructure its specialty chemicals business.

Spain to build its first vaccine plant

02-Jul-2009 - The Spanish Ministry of Health is leading a €60m ($84.9m) programme that will build the country’s first vaccine production facility and use Novavax’s recombinant virus-like-particle (VLP) technology.

Rottapharm expanding Irish operations

01-Jul-2009 - Rottapharm is investing €7m ($9.8m) in its Irish manufacturing operations, which will create 35 jobs and add 2000 sq m housing three manufacturing and associated packaging lines.

Originates increases pharma gelatin capacity

30-Jun-2009 - US raw materials supplier Originates has boosted its pharmaceutical bovine hide gelatin manufacturing capacity with the addition of two new ISO 9000/9001 certified, GMP-standard production facilities in South America.

TFC forms JV to boost DMSO output

30-Jun-2009 - Rising demand in China has led to Toray Fine Chemicals (TFC) establishing a joint venture to produce dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), a reaction solvent in pharma production.