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.

Alcan talks still on in wake of Bemis deal, says Amcor

20-Jul-2009 - Australian group Amcor has confirmed that talks about a takeover of Alcan’s pharmaceutical packaging business are still ongoing but says that no binding agreement has yet been reached.

Pfizer may bid for Turkey’s Abdi Ibrahim

20-Jul-2009 - Rumours suggest that US drug giant Pfizer is considering a bid for Turkish generics group Abdi Ibrahim as part of its strategy of expanding in emerging markets.

OSI leaves Long Island after "failing to make biotech work"

08-Jul-2009 - US biotechnology group OSI Pharmaceuticals will move HQ to a facility in Greenburgh, New York due, according to observers, to the high cost of land at its current base in Long Island.

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Evolvence plans more Indian pharma investment

07-Jul-2009 - Dubai-based investment group Evolvence Capital plans to invest in more India drugmakers, according to a report in the Emirates Business newspaper.

Pfizer plans Irish process lab, shelves SF unit and sells skin drugs to Graceway

07-Jul-2009 - Pfizer will invest €11m ($15.3m) in a new kilo technology R&D laboratory at its API manufacturing facility in Ringaskiddy, Ireland.

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.

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GSK buys 13 B-MS generics for North African market

06-Jul-2009 - UK drug major GSK has paid Bristol-Myers Squibb’s (BSM) $23.2m (€16.6m) for 13 generic products that it sells in North Africa and the Middle East.

Sepha shows off BlisterScan in Japan

06-Jul-2009 - Northern Irish pack testing specialist Sepha has moved forward with plans to enter the Japanese market, showcasing its BlisterScan platform at Interphex Japan in Tokyo last week.

USP revises monographs to tackle contamination

06-Jul-2009 - The USP is revising monographs of four pharmaceutical excipients in light of hazards associated with diethylene glycol contamination and is seeking comments from interested parties.

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.

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.

News in brief

Solvay loses out on Dutch H1N1 vacc contract

24-Jun-2009 - Belgian drug and chemicals giant Solvay has lost out on a contract to supply the Dutch government with an H1N1 vaccine after it said it could not meet the production deadline.

Strong growth predicted for Chinese vaccine market

22-Jun-2009 - The growth of the Chinese vaccine market is set to outstrip the country’s pharma sector, according to a Frost & Sullivan (F&S) report that predicts 14-15 per cent CAGR.

NJ pharma employment down in ‘08

22-Jun-2009 - The number of pharma employees in New Jersey, US fell by 1,400 in 2008, with R&D expenditure, capital investment and product trials also declining, according to a report.

Bio drugs to dominate top ten list by 2014

18-Jun-2009 - Seven of the top ten drugs will be biopharmaceuticals by 2014 according to sector analysts Evaluate Pharma.

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.

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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.

UAE makes big efforts to attract pharma

15-Jun-2009 - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is looking to establish itself as a prime location for pharmaceutical companies, with “massive amounts of money and huge incentives” being used to attract business.

FTC calls for biogenerics path and end of “pay for delay” deals

11-Jun-2009 - The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) believes that an effective FOB approval pathway and laws preventing “pay-for-delay” deals are the only ways of reducing the cost of biologic drugs.

GSK grows in Asia vacc market

10-Jun-2009 - UK drug major GSK has had a busy week in the Asia, signing an influenza vaccine manufacturing deal with China’s Shenzhen Neptunus Interlong Bio-Technique just days after it opened a new S$600m (EUR294m) production facility in Singapore.

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.