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Anti-counterfeiting rules will limit access to safe drugs; Oxfam

02-Feb-2011 - The EU and US are using substandard medicines as an excuse to tighten IP rules, boosting pharma profits while making it harder for the poor to access drugs, according to Oxfam.

News in brief

Mitsubishi Tanabe recalls some drug batches on quality concerns

27-Jan-2011 - Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma has recalled three lots of injected drugs made at its plant in Ashikaga, Japan after “some aspects of [quality] testing were inadequate.”

Weak anti-counterfeiting slowing ASEAN harmonisation

26-Jan-2011 - Failure to reduce counterfeiting is one of a number of issues slowing healthcare regulation harmonisation in ASEAN.

Hospira kills production of death-row drug, Pentothal

25-Jan-2011 - Hospira has confirmed it will no longer make Pentothal - an anaesthetic used in lethal injections – as the company “never condoned” its use in executions.

Baxter halts PD production at Castlebar to investigate contamination

25-Jan-2011 - Baxter has shut down a production area at its plant in Castlebar, Ireland, telling the EMA it cannot guarantee peritoneal dialysis (PD) solutions made there are free of endotoxin contamination.

FDA wants limits on bead size in “sprinkle delivery” drugs

24-Jan-2011 - The US FDA has suggested pharmaceutical firms use a maximum bead size of 2.0mm for modified-release drugs formulated for “sprinkle” delivery to avoid problems resulting from inadvertent chewing.

Genzyme to build new Belgium manufacturing plant

24-Jan-2011 - Genzyme will build a second manufacturing plant in Geel, Belgium to ensure it has the capacity to meet demand for its Pompe disease drugs Myozyme and Lumizyme.

Teva to axe 200 Irvine jobs as all production halts

20-Jan-2011 - Teva has confirmed it will cut 200 jobs this year after a voluntary hold was placed on all manufacturing at its Irvine, California, US facility.

B-MS recalls 64m Puerto Rico-made Avalide tablets

17-Jan-2011 - Bristol-Myers Squibb has recalled 64m tablets of its Avalide blood pressure drug in the US and Puerto Rico over fears it has the potential for reduced efficacy.

Schott joins Naigai to break into Japanese pharma packaging market

17-Jan-2011 - German technology group Schott and Japan’s Naigai Glass Industry Company have teamed up to enter the country’s pharmaceutical packaging market.

Telstar Puretech offers pharma water production solutions

13-Jan-2011 - Telstar Group and Puretech Process Systems are teaming up to meet the flood of pharma and biotech demand for water treatment technologies.

KV shares plummet after FDA delay prompts liquidity evaluation

13-Jan-2011 - KV Pharmaceutical saw its share price plummet after an FDA delay prompted it to evaluate its liquidity outlook.

Genzyme lowers guidance after Fabrazyme production delay

13-Jan-2011 - Genzyme has lowered 2011 financial projections after delaying the date it expects Fabrazyme production to return to normal.

Fedegari opts for Wind River RTOS for sterilisation units

12-Jan-2011 - Mobile software developer Wind River says Fedegari Autoclavi has adopted its VxWorks real-time operating system (RTOS) for its Therma4 control systems for its industrial sterilisation machines.

News in brief

Leak at Wanbei Pharma plant injures 62

10-Jan-2011 - Sixty-two workers at Wanbei Pharmaceutical’s manufacturing facility in Suzhou, China have been sickened after a chemical leak.

Legislation & resources needed as Croatia prepares to join EU

10-Jan-2011 - Legislation and resources are needed to support Croatian pharmaceutical regulators in preparation for accession to the European Union (EU).

FDA cGMP warning letters round up

06-Jan-2011 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com presents a round up of cGMP related warning letters published recently by the FDA.

Mocon supplies Tibetan pack testing lab

06-Jan-2011 - Instrument supplier Mocon has taken its business to new heights, literally, by installing two testing units at a Government pharmaceutical laboratory in Lhasa, Tibet.

Non-EU APIs a concern says EMA in 2015 Roadmap

05-Jan-2011 - The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has highlighted the quality APIs manufactured outside the EU as an area of concern in the draft 2015 road map it unveiled this week.

GSK hits back at 60 minutes doc on "broken" Cidra plant

04-Jan-2011 - GSK says there is no evidence that patients were harmed as a result of production issues at its manufacturing plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico.

US FDA joins PIC/S after 5 year review

03-Jan-2011 - The US FDA has finally become a member of the Pharmaceutical Inspection Convention and Pharmaceutical Co-Operation Inspection Scheme (PIC/S) after a five-year application process.

“Particulate matter” cited in Luitpold and Cumberland recalls

03-Jan-2011 - US drugmakers Luitpold and Cumberland have both withdrawn injectable pharmaceutical products after contamination concerns.

Top regulation & enforcement articles of 2010

23-Dec-2010 - Regulations and enforcement were big topics yet again in 2010. in-PharmaTechnologist presents five of our most read on the topics, covering starting material quality and overseas inspections.

Catalent fined after contact with olanzapine leads to dermatitis

22-Dec-2010 - Catalent has been fined after contact with olanzapine led to employees developing dermatitis, an incident the company “deeply regrets”.

Top 2010 QC & recall news

22-Dec-2010 - Johnson & Johnson (J&J) dominated recall and quality control (QC) news over the past year but others also faced issues. in-PharmaTechnologist presents five of our most read QC articles of 2010.

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