The Challenge of Change - Managing Excipients Control
Colorcon
09-Jun-2005 - UK-based Stanelco has acquired Biotec, a company based in Germany that makes starch-based polymer packaging for the pharmaceutical and food industries.
07-Jun-2005 - 'Smart' blister packaging that can record when medicines are taken, developed by Canada's Information Mediary Corp, is being launched into the European market with the help of French contract research organisation ABR Pharma, reports Phil Taylor.
06-Jun-2005 - Security printing specialist AlpVision has signed an agreement with fellow Swiss company Serolab to develop packaging that will guard against drug counterfeiting.
02-Jun-2005 - According to a new report, the US pharmaceutical industry is ignoring as much as $16 billion (€13 billion) in cash as the industry struggles to cope with disappointing single-digit growth, a lack of new products to replace drugs coming off patent, increasing competition and shrinking margins.
01-Jun-2005 - US-based Avery Dennison is now producing radio frequency identification (RFID) inlays using a new high-speed manufacturing process to meet what the company believes will be a booming demand for clients who ship cartons and pallets.
01-Jun-2005 - SupplyScape, a US company specialising in developing track and trace technologies for the pharmaceutical industry, has teamed up with IT consultancy UniSys to set up a pilot study of SupplyScape's electronic pedigree for drugs, reports Phil Taylor.
30-May-2005 - Marchesini has made its first foray into the market for stickpack packaging with the launch of a complete automated line aimed at manufacturers in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries, writes Phil Taylor.
30-May-2005 - Canadian packaging technology company Creo has teamed up with XINK Laboratories, a company that makes conducting ink for printing radiofrequency identification (RFID) antennas, to address RFID tag security issues.
26-May-2005 - Creo, a Canadian firm which makes imaging and printing technologies, has teamed up with label company Accucote to develop invisibly-tagged, traceable label stocks for the pharmaceutical, medical and other industries, writes Phil Taylor.
24-May-2005 - GlaxoSmithKline is planning to use a series of packaging and on-tablet technologies to prevent parallel trade in its HIV drugs Combivir (zidovudine and lamivudine) and Epivir (lamivudine), writes Phil Taylor.
23-May-2005 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has made significant progress in the battle against counterfeit prescription drugs.
18-May-2005 - An instantly-applicable and cost-effective alternative to RFID technology will be unveiled at the RetailSystems 2005 Expo next week.
18-May-2005 - Qiagen and Procognia have entered into a marketing and licensing agreement, which targets the emerging field of protein glycoanalysis. The combination of Qproteome products with Procognia's On-Chip Glycoanalysis technology aims to create a host of "guided fractionation" solutions.
17-May-2005 - Packaging giant Alcan has reached an agreement to purchase Interglass, a privately owned company that makes glass vials and ampoules, in a move that expands Alcan Packaging's position in the North American pharmaceutical packaging market.
17-May-2005 - A study showing that drugs distributed in blister packages rather than in bottles increase the likelihood that medications will be taken properly, could help encourage the take-up of unit-dose packaging in the US market, reports Phil Taylor.
16-May-2005 - US nanotechnology company NanoInk has said it wants to forge partnerships with packaging companies to develop a layered brand protection solution for pharmaceutical customers.
13-May-2005 - Japanese packaging machinery firm Shibuya Kogyo is close to finalising its acquisition of Hoppmann, a move that will expand the firm's presence within the lucrative US market.
12-May-2005 - According to a new report by the National Academies, the advent of increased global competition for outstanding students and scientists has heightened the need for a widespread effort to attract high calibre researchers to the US.
11-May-2005 - Canada's ATS Automation Tooling Systems has launched a fully-automated inspection system for plastic containers used as primary packaging for aseptically filled pharmaceutical products.
10-May-2005 - A pilot programme looking at how radiofrequency identification (RFID) can be used in pharmacies to pick up counterfeit medicines is to be developed into a commercial product, reports Phil Taylor.
10-May-2005 - In the US, Berry Plastics is to acquire Kerr Group in a $445 million (€356m) deal aimed at boosting its position in the plastic packaging market.
03-May-2005 - Canada's Alcan is opening a new production centre dedicated to pharmaceutical packaging at its Alzira plant, located near Valencia in Spain. The centre will specialise in printing flexible packaging materials, reports Phil Taylor.
03-May-2005 - VIRxSYS has announced the completion of the phase I study of its novel HIV gene therapy, which has been touted as the first of a next-generation anti-HIV treatment involving gene therapy. The positive results mean a phase II study will be initiated.
25-Apr-2005 - Honeywell has launched a new Aclar moisture barrier film that is designed for medical applications, such as overwraps, pouches and lidding.
25-Apr-2005 - Amcor Flexibles Healthcare has enlisted the aid of Montesino Associates to market a blister pack simulation technology to the global pharmaceutical industry.