Actavis selects Malta as Africa waypoint

03-Dec-2008 - Icelandic generics firm Actavis plans to use Malta as a distribution hub for the supply of drugs to the emerging African pharmaceutical market, according to reports in the Maltese press.

News in brief

Qatar and Egypt plan new drug plant

03-Dec-2008 - Qatar and Egypt are to set up a new drug manufacturing plant at a facility in Qatar, according to BusinessIntelligence. The new facility will begin by producing soluble drugs for the emerging Qatari and Egyptian drug markets.

Teva and Servier raided by EC

27-Nov-2008 - European facilities owned by Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals and French drugmaker Servier are among the firms raided by the EC’s competition unit earlier this week, according to media reports.

ScinoPharm’s easy-filter irinotecan gets US patent

26-Nov-2008 - Taiwanese API maker ScinoPharm has been granted a US patent for new crystalline forms of irinotecan which are designed to allow for easier filtration during production processing.

Further twists in heparin scandal

26-Nov-2008 - A member of the US Congress has called on the GAO to launch an investigation into the FDA’s handling of the heparin crisis, citing “unanswered questions concerning [the] deaths”.

AZ to slash more European jobs and ramp-up China investment

24-Nov-2008 - AstraZeneca is to cut 1,400 jobs and close more manufacturing facilities by 2013, as it attempts to slim down in preparation for impending generic competition for some of its cornerstone drugs.

Asia to drive glycerin market out to 2015

13-Nov-2008 - Demand for glycerin as an ingredient in pharmaceuticals, personal care and other products is expected to show brisk growth out 2015, when demand around the world is expected to reach 3.39 billion pounds, according to market research firm Global Industry Analysts.

Taiwan’s biotech statute continues to attract global players

29-Oct-2008 - Taiwan’s efforts to position itself as a major biotechnology hub received a further boost today with the opening of Merck KGaA’s dedicated technology training centre in Xizhi City, Taipei County.

NAFDAC blacklists 22 drug fakers

28-Oct-2008 - The NAFDAC has banned 22 firms that it says are involved in the manufacture of fake drugs from ever again selling pharmaceuticals in Nigeria, as part of a countrywide clampdown.

Wyeth to cut jobs at Irish subsidiary

16-Oct-2008 - Wyeth Medica, an Irish subsidiary of US drugmaker Wyeth, plans to cut 250 jobs at its manufacturing plant in Newbridge, County Kildare, according to media reports.

Certification at top of agenda for IPEC Europe

09-Oct-2008 - The International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council (IPEC) of Europe has outlined the actions it is taking as it continues to develop awareness of the need for safe excipients.

Exclusive interview with IPEC China chairman Nevin Cheng

IPEC China’s chairman sets out next steps

18-Sep-2008 - IPEC China must become a “harmonisation bridge between China and other countries,” according to Colorcon’s Nevin Cheng who was recently elected chairman of the new organisation.

USP opens its first site in Brazil

19-Aug-2008 - The US Pharmacopeia (USP) has continued to expand its global reach by opening a site in São Paulo, Brazil; its first in Latin America.

Excipients supply chain still needs tightening

04-Jun-2008 - Although there has been considerable industry effort to monitor and control the distribution of pharmaceutical raw materials, the voluntary nature of this regulation means that the supply network is still susceptible to unscrupulous operators.

Weekly comment

Pharma must adapt to emerging markets

19-May-2008 - Pharmaceutical companies are having to radically change their practices when it comes to tackling emerging markets such as China, India, Russia and Brazil, according to IMS.

China set to become fourth IPEC region

13-May-2008 - China is on course to having its own version of the International Pharmaceutical Excipients Council - joining its fellow organisations in Europe, the Americas and Japan.

Legislation proposed for FDA foreign inspections

22-Apr-2008 - Draft legislation has been put forward which would require the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to inspect foreign manufacturing plants every four years.

FDA suspects heparin contamination due to fraud

17-Apr-2008 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that the contamination of Baxter's blood thinner heparin, which has been linked to 62 deaths in the US, may have been due to the deliberate replacement of some ingredients with cheaper alternatives.

US and Chinese pharmacopoeias expand working relationship

03-Apr-2008 - The pharmacopoeias of the US and China will work more closely together in future in a bid to improve the quality of medicines available in both countries.

California gives industry a two-year reprieve on ePedigree

30-Mar-2008 - Pharmaceutical manufacturers, distributors and retailers alike have welcomed a unanimous vote by the California State Board of Pharmacy to delay for another two years the implementation of electronic pedigree requirements for tracking drugs from the manufacturer through to the pharmacy.

Supply chain globalisation weighs heavily on FDA

04-Mar-2008 - The globalisation of the supply chain increasingly challenges the US Food and Drug Administration's ability to ensure the quality of pharmaceuticals on the US market, acknowledges the acting director of the agency's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Novartis vaccines institute sets sights on developing world diseases

27-Feb-2008 - Novartis has lent impetus to the growing trend towards philanthropic R&D in the pharmaceutical industry by opening a new research institute in Siena, Italy "with a non-profit mission to exclusively focus on the development of vaccines for diseases of the developing world".

Radiant shunning the China stereotype

05-Feb-2008 - Chinese outsourcing firm Radiant Pharma & Tech is blasting through the stereotypes being pinned on companies operating in low-cost economies, with the relatively young firm hoping to give companies in established markets a run for their money.

SOCMA members slate emerging markets

04-Feb-2008 - Members of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA) have slammed competitors from emerging markets, claiming poor quality goods and lack of technological competence in regions such as China, India and Eastern Europe.