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Lonza breaks the mould with microbiological testing kit

08-Apr-2008 - A rapid microbial detection kit presented as the only genetic-based test on the market to quantify yeast and mould has been launched by Switzerland's Lonza.

Emerson to automate China's first mAb drug plant

07-Apr-2008 - US-based engineering services firm Emerson announced at Interphex that it has been selected to digitally automate a new facility in China that will produce the country's first monoclonal antibody (mAb) drugs.

US District finds for GSK in patent amendments case

07-Apr-2008 - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has scored a decisive victory in its efforts to head off new US patent rules that would strike at the heart of the way the drug industry goes about protecting its inventions.

Bosch makes liquid filling a disposable option

03-Apr-2008 - The use of disposable manufacturing equipment in pharmaceutical production and greater need for containment equipment were recurring themes at the Interphex show in Philadelphia last week, and both were addressed by new equipment from Bosch Packaging Technology.

Pall buoyed by biopharma, Asian markets in 2Q

02-Apr-2008 - Pall seems to have shaken off the financial turmoil of recent months in the second quarter of 2008, with a 15 per cent hike in sales to $626m helped by favourable dollar exchange rates and a strong performance by its biopharmaceuticals division.

Microbial testing steps up a gear with Growth Direct

02-Apr-2008 - With manufacturing productivity in the pharmaceutical sector widely acknowledged as being in need of modernisation, a US firm believes it has developed a technology that could carve days off the time spent on microbial testing, a cumbersome but ubiquitous part of the quality control process.

Gore unveils new biopharma tools

01-Apr-2008 - Gore PharmBio chose this year's Interphex trade show to showcase two new products to assist biomanufacturers.

Isogen moves to fill small-scale injectables gap

01-Apr-2008 - Sterile process engineering consultancy firm Isogen is taking a maiden voyage into the manufacturing side of drugs with the construction of its first facility, aimed to fill a gap in small-scale injectables.

EU's ageing science workforce could damage future innovations

27-Mar-2008 - The ageing population of the European Union (EU) could result in a stagnation in technological innovation, according to a new report. As science and technology professionals get older and less socially mobile, there are fears that it could result in a loss in scientific expertise.

Record R&D investment in US

27-Mar-2008 - Research and development investment by America's pharmaceutical and biotechnology research companies reached a record $58.8bn last year, a rise of $3bn since 2006.

New US biosimilars bill a disappointing distraction, says GPhA

26-Mar-2008 - The generic pharmaceutical industry has given short shrift to the latest congressional attempt to construct a viable approval pathway for biosimilars in the US.

UK pharma industry set to lose business offshore

26-Mar-2008 - The pharmaceutical industry has lost confidence in the UK as a place to do business to an "alarming degree" and the situation is only set to deteriorate, reveals new research.

ISPE links with university for hands-on biopharma training

25-Mar-2008 - The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE) is offering a "unique training experience" for pharmaceutical professionals through a partnership with North Carolina State University in the US.

Fumehood maker shows rivals how to go green

06-Mar-2008 - A new user and environmentally-friendly fume hood claimed to cut emissions as well as operating and energy costs has been launched at Pittcon 2008.

Warning for Vintage generic drugmaker

20-Feb-2008 - Generic drug manufacturer Vintage Pharmaceuticals has fallen foul of the regulatory authorities in the US once again for failing to meet quality standards.

China plant implicated in heparin scare "never" inspected by FDA

14-Feb-2008 - Questions are hanging over the role of a Chinese manufacturing facility in the Baxter heparin scare after it has emerged that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has never inspected the facility.

Pfizer expands in inhaled drugs as Nektar cuts back

13-Feb-2008 - Pfizer's announcement of plans to create a new €130m inhaled medicines unit at its facility in Amboise, France suggests that the firm is still intent on investing in inhalation technology, despite its disappointment with Exubera.

Germany shows special facility in FOYA category awards

07-Feb-2008 - Germany put in a strong showing as category winners were announced for the fourth annual Facility of the Year Awards (FOYA) recognising innovation in pharmaceutical manufacturing projects.

Cellexus extends rental plan for disposable bioreactor

06-Feb-2008 - Cellexus Biosystems, the UK company that designs, manufactures and sells disposable cell growth technology for the biopharmaceutical industry, is extending the rental plan offered on its CellMaker Lite2 single-use bioreactor in response to significant demand since the plan was introduced last September.

Novartis warned as facility fails inspection

04-Feb-2008 - Novartis has been given a warning by US regulators detailing significant failures in its investigation into tracking down the source of contamination in some of its vaccines.

William Ransom & Son recall false contaminated products

07-Dec-2007 - UK-based William Ransom & Son has been advised to voluntarily recall certain products following a false contamination scare at its Witham, Essex, facility.

Combo products need guidelines

05-Dec-2007 - The combination products market is zooming ahead, requiring the need to address regulatory challenges, an author of a white paper says.

Regulators slate Roche 'lack of knowledge and understanding' in Viracept contamination case

23-Nov-2007 - The official report into good manufacturing practice (GMP) failures that caused dangerous contamination and a Europe-wide recall of Roche's HIV drug Viracept (nelfinavir) claims the firm simply did not understand its own manufacturing processes.

Explosions at two pharma plants

30-Oct-2007 - Two pharmaceutical companies have faced explosions at their plants in the last week, local media reported.

Weekly Comment

FDA told its safety monitoring of clinical trials not good enough

02-Oct-2007 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been called into question again after the release of a damning report, this time suggesting the agency is inadequate in its safety monitoring of clinical trials.

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