Breaking News on Pharmaceutical Technology

ERP software eases compliance and recall routines

18-Feb-2009 - Deacom has updated its ERP software, which allows a manufacturer to track raw materials through its facility and perform a range of business processes.

Green flip-flop solvents cut costs and damage

18-Feb-2009 - Work into solvents that can switch polarity from an ionic to non-ionic form, negating the need to remove them after each step, has won a researcher the John C Polanyi Award.

Funding boost for green catalyst tech

16-Feb-2009 - Research into the development of cheaper, less environmentally damaging catalysts should be furthered by a grant awarded by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute.

FDA warns Taro about QC at Canadian plant

10-Feb-2009 - The quality control systems in place at Isreali drugmaker Taro Pharmaceutical’s manufacturing facility in Ontario, Canada are the subject of a US FDA warning letter following an inspection carried out last year.

Pharma Phacts

Deuteration may help drug development

09-Feb-2009 - New research suggests that deuteration, the replacement of hydrogen atoms with heavier forms, can alter an API's crystallisation properties and help drugmakers make better more effective drugs.

Millipore moves for Guava to boost bioscience

09-Feb-2009 - Millipore hopes its $23m (€18m) swoop for Guava Technologies will draw attention away from the underperformance of its bioprocess division, revenue from which fell 6 per cent in Q4 to $214m (€165m) and 2 per cent for 2008 overall.

XStream’s X250 help distributors see through fakes

05-Feb-2009 - Authentication and track and trace methods, like pedigree, should be combined to provide layers of protection against counterfeit drugs according to XStream Systems’ CEO Brian Mayo.

DSM hopes microreactor will give big gains

05-Feb-2009 - DSM is evaluating Micronit Microfluidics’ new microreactor, which has been developed to perform industrial scale fluid reactions of fine chemicals in a continuous process.

Pall ups tempo of Allegro campaign

04-Feb-2009 - Industrial processing giant Pall is stepping up global promotion efforts for its Allegro platform as the market for single-use drug manufacturing options, estimated to be worth around $400m (€308m), continues to expand.

D3T aims to clean up in verification testing market

29-Jan-2009 - D3 Technology hopes its new SERS-based cleaning verification test, that follows FDA guidelines, will prove attractive to drugmakers looking to expedite the cleaning process and cut downtime between production runs.

Evolution of Thermo Fisher’s Darwin LIMS

29-Jan-2009 - Thermo Fisher Scientific hopes that the web functionality offered by the latest generation of its Darwin LIMS system will help it become the natural selection for drug makers seeking an all-in-one QA solution.

ABB launches software for QbD & PAT

29-Jan-2009 - ABB has launched its latest process analytical technology (PAT) software xPAT, which it claims will help companies implement quality by design (QbD) through a products entire lifecycle.

Mettler hopes FreeWeigh is road to pharma quality

14-Jan-2009 - With big pharma continually seeking greater efficiency, improving QA/QC to reduce wastage and avoid costly recalls has become increasingly important, a fact that Mettler Toledo hopes will win the latest generation of its FreeWeigh.Net software an industrial following.

Actavis Totowa stops production at out-of-code US plants

06-Jan-2009 - Actavis Totowa, part of Icelandic generics group Actavis, has agreed to stop selling drugs made at its facilities in New Jersey, US until the plants are made fully compliant with the FDA’s GMP guidelines.

Light microscopy technique for improving contaminant analysis

11-Dec-2008 - The timely identification of contaminants in pharmaceutical manufacture can be critical to avoiding costly delays. While it is relatively straightforward to establish the composition of a contaminating particle, determining its origin in the manufacturing process can be much more problematic. in-PharmaTechnologist spoke with McCrone Associates' Heidi Ullberg at this year's AAPS in Atlanta about a light microscopy that can help drugmakers address this problem.

Quadro aims to make trails in powder processing

11-Dec-2008 - Quadro Engineering has entered into a partnership to distribute Micro-Macinazione’s Jet-Mill products in the Americas, as well as launching its own API sifter.

Pall hopes to have manufacturing in the bag

10-Dec-2008 - Pall Life Sciences has launched its Allegro 3D biocontainers, which have been designed to improve the performance of the company’s large-scale, single use manufacturing systems.

Crunch causes ripple effect in Europe’s pharma water sector

09-Dec-2008 - Demand for pharmaceutical manufacturing grade water in Europe shows no sign of drying up, according to a new study by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan.

News in brief

Merck challenged to re-evaluate waste water

09-Dec-2008 - Virginia’s Waste Control Board has challenged Merck to create different ways of achieving compliance with 2011 environmental standards, according to the Rocktown Weekly that is based in the state.

Norres claims clamp holds firm under pressure

08-Dec-2008 - Germany-based Norres has launched a new clamp system for externally corrugated hoses, which it claims will remain secure even in high pressure conditions.

Common confusions on the supply chain

04-Dec-2008 - Common misunderstandings in the steps needed to ensure raw materials are free from contaminants were part of a speech at this year’s AAPS.

News in brief

DEG poisoning claims yet more victims in Nigeria

03-Dec-2008 - Diethyleneglycol (DEG) has reared its ugly head again, causing up to 25 deaths in Nigeria so far this year according to a November 28 article on the allAfrica.com website.

Corroded Ionsys’ circuits may raise fentanyl overdose risk

27-Nov-2008 - Janssen-Cilag’s quality control unit has found a defect in certain batches of its Ionsys (fentanyl hydrochloride) management system that could lead to a potentially life-threatening overdose.

Reaxa showcases Ni EnCat technology

26-Nov-2008 - Reaxa CEO Dr Peter Jackson explains why the firm added a nickel catalyst to its EnCat range.