Breaking News on Pharmaceutical Technology

Cloud Packaging meets shorter run trend with Toll takeover

07-Sep-2009 - Cloud Packaging Solutions has said the acquisition of Toll Packaging will boost its ability to meet the increased demand for shorter packing runs triggered by the current global economic crisis.

News in brief

Medis’ drug packaging plant open for business

19-Aug-2009 - Czech CMO Medis International has completed construction of its new pharma packaging plant in Bolatice, just nine months after work on the 2,700 sqm site began.

Amcor offers over $2bn for Alcan packaging businesses

18-Aug-2009 - Australian packaging giant Amcor has offered to buy the European and Asian arms of Alcan Food Packaging along with its pharmaceutical and tobacco businesses for $2025m (€1434m).

Amcor halts share trading; is Alcan Pharma Packaging deal close?

17-Aug-2009 - Amcor has temporarily halted trading on the Australian stock exchange, fuelling rumours that the group is finally about to move for Rio Tinto’s Alcan pharmaceutical packaging unit.

News in brief

NuPharm expands packaging capacity

17-Aug-2009 - NuPharm Laboratories has expanded its packaging capacity in response to an increase in business by installing an automated coding machine from Allen Coding Systems.

Rollprint service aims to cut time to market

13-Aug-2009 - Rollprint Packaging Products claims that its prototype laboratory can help cut time to market by providing information about how packaging will behave in the commercial environment.

West’s operating income drops in Q2

05-Aug-2009 - West Pharmaceutical Services’ operating income fell by 33 per cent in Q2 but the company reported that demand for some of its drug delivery technology is strong.

Packaging up at AmerisourceBergen in Q3

04-Aug-2009 - AmerisourceBergen’s contract packaging business believes the outlook for the sector is improving after it posted an 11 per cent rise in operating income in Q3.

Adherence packs play part in MWV’s Q2 gains

30-Jul-2009 - Good adherence pack sales and profits growth helped US packaging group MeadWestvaco to a positive set of Q2 financials, despite a 16 per cent drop in sales for the period.

Rexam considers rights issue, market remains weak

28-Jul-2009 - Packaging firm Rexam is considering issuing new equity to service its burdensome debt pile, after market conditions failed to improve in the last quarter.

Compass completes ISO Class 8 upgrade

27-Jul-2009 - US firm Compass Pharma Services is now offering ISO class 8 certified packaging services in a bid to capture a share of the expanding high-potency drug sector.

News in brief

Work begins on Marchesini’s €6.5m logistics unit

23-Jul-2009 - Italian production machine specialist Marchesini has begun work on a €6.5m ($9.2m) extension of its facility in Pianoro, Bologna.

Borealis’ high resistance LE6609-PH BFS re-lanuched

21-Jul-2009 - Austria’s Borealis has brought its Bormed LE6609-PH BFS grade plastic back to market in a move that, it claims, will allow converters to speed up their production cycles by reducing autoclave residence time.

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.

Gerresheimer cuts forecast despite pharma packaging growth

15-Jul-2009 - Gerresheimer has cut its forecast for 2009 after a poor second quarter that saw gains made in drug packaging pegged back by falling demand from the cosmetics industry.

West buys Plastef’s delivery business

09-Jul-2009 - US contract manufacturer West Pharmaceutical Services has purchased French device firm Plastef Investissements’ drug delivery business, adding the eris safety syringe system to its offering.

Cozzoli filling line aims to cut contamination

08-Jul-2009 - Cozzoli believes its new powder filling line, which is capable of depositing varying doses of antibiotics into differing sizes of vials, can help companies reduce the risk of contamination.

Siemens develops bulk RFID reader

08-Jul-2009 - NXP and Siemens have collaborated to create a RFID system capable of bulk reading hundreds of labels, which they believe could improve efficiencies across the pharma supply chain.

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.

Biologics shift packaging growth areas

24-Jun-2009 - The world pharma packaging market is predicted to rise 5.3 per cent to more than $47bn (€33.3bn) in 2013, with increased use of biologics driving change.

Sigpack says rotational toploader a revolution for vial handling

23-Jun-2009 - Sigpack Systems, a subsidiary of Bosch Packaging Technology, claims its new toploader unit will both improve the efficiency and cut the cost of handling delicate pharmaceutical packaging.

Vetter expands secondary packaging capacity

18-Jun-2009 - German aseptic filling specialist Vetter has boosted packaging operations at its new facility in Ravensburg to meet growing demand for cost-effective secondary packaging services

3M rolls out plasma coating and face seal tech for pMDIs

10-Jun-2009 - 3M’s drug delivery unit believes its new plasma coating and face seal valve pMDI technologies help protect APIs and will mean that more drugs can be delivered via inhalation.

News in brief

Mettler-Toledo launches checkweigher; installs tech at AZ

10-Jun-2009 - Mettler-Toledo Hi-Speed has launched an “economically priced” checkweigher for use in mild to moderate washdown operations and installed two other machines at an AstraZeneca (AZ) facility.