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AstraZeneca finds buyer for German plant

27-Nov-2007 - Reports emerged in the German press yesterday claiming that AstraZeneca has found a buyer for its Plankstadt manufacturing facility.

FMC improves on existing excipients

22-Nov-2007 - FMC BioPolymer has introduced two new excipient products to the pharma market - the first in two years.

Hefty price hike for BASF excipients

12-Nov-2007 - German chemicals firm BASF has announced a major price hike across its range of pharmaceutical excipients, upping price tags by as much as 9 per cent.

Major Singapore investment for Novartis

29-Oct-2007 - Swiss pharma Novartis today announced the largest manufacturing investment in its history, revealing plans for a $700m (€486.5m) biotech facility to be built alongside its new solid dose plant in the low cost, high quality biopharma hub of Singapore.

Vitamin B12 the key to oral insulin?

23-Oct-2007 - Pfizer may have given up on its non-injectable insulin, but researchers in the US think they may have cracked a way to deliver the hormone orally, linking it up to vitamin B12 to protect it through the digestive system.

Meldex moves in Germany, inks new deal

17-Oct-2007 - Growing demand has prompted tableting specialist Meldex International, formerly BioProgress, to launch a new sales and distribution hub in Germany, with the UK firm also announcing a new manufacturing contract for its XGel film.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing: news in brief

12-Oct-2007 - In-PharmaTechnologist.com brings you a selection of other headlines from the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.

FDA backs tablet imaging tech

09-Oct-2007 - UK-based TeraView has had its tablet imaging technology backed by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), following a study by the regulatory agency.

Granulation technology launched

04-Oct-2007 - Finland-based Atacama Labs has launched its proprietary technology system for developing solid oral dosage forms.

Novartis piling up approvals

24-Sep-2007 - Novartis has announced its latest batch of thumbs up from EU regulators, potentially adding a few more products to its 'approved' list for this year.

Biologic coatings go supercritical

18-Sep-2007 - UK researchers are developing 'green' methods of coating delicate biopharmaceutical drugs that reduce the risk of damaging the drugs while replacing the harsh solvents normally used in the process.

All change at BioProgress

17-Sep-2007 - UK tabletting specialist BioProgress made a series of announcements last week, not only landing itself a commercial partner and patent protection for its novel tablet coating technology, but also rebranding itself under a new name, Meldex International.

Colorcon takes on Chr. Hansen's excipient and coating division

10-Sep-2007 - Denmark-based Chr. Hansen has sold its excipients and coating division to US company Colorcon for an undisclosed sum to concentrate on its food business.

ALK-Abello and Catalent to increase Grazax production

29-Aug-2007 - ALK-Abello will be funding a new DKK 300m (€40.3m) production line dedicated to its oral grass pollen allergy vaccine at Catalent Pharma Solutions' UK facility.

LifeCycle gets fenofibrate approval in US

13-Aug-2007 - The lowest formulated dose of cholesterol-busting fenofibrate has been approved for the US market using a new formulation platform.

GPC tries to stay positive after satraplatin blow

08-Aug-2007 - GPC Biotech announced its second quarter financial results this week, trying to put a brave face on its outlook despite the recent disappointments regarding its lead oral cancer drug.

Stada boosts production power with Russian pharma acquisition

06-Aug-2007 - German pharma firm Stada has acquired Russian pharmaceuticals group Makiz in a deal worth up to €135m, giving the company a sturdy foothold in the growing Russian market and enhanced in-house production capacity.

Frustration for GPC oral cancer drug

26-Jul-2007 - GPC Biotech was dealt a blow this week as an advisory committee recommended that regulatory bodies should hold off on approval of a novel oral formulation of a platinum-based cancer drug.

Tamiflu caps for kids get EU thumbs up

24-Jul-2007 - Roche has received a positive opinion from EU regulators recommending the approval of low-dose capsules of the blockbuster flu drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir), providing a more convenient dosage form for children.

AeonClad the way to better drug, particle and device coatings

12-Jul-2007 - University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) spin-out has exclusively licensed plasma coating technology that could improve the controlled release of drugs and the biocompatibility of medical implants.

Servier sets up in Russia

11-Jul-2007 - France's largest independent drug company Servier has invested €40m in a new tablet producing factory in Russia to meet demand from the local market.

Gel cap strength put to the test

05-Jul-2007 - A UK firm has introduced a new piece of kit for pharma firms to test how the contents of their hard gel capsules can affect the strength and stability of the outer shell.

New diarrhoea drug adds to IBD arsenal

04-Jul-2007 - Italian firm Cosmo Pharmaceuticals has announced positive preliminary results from trials testing out a new formulation of an antibioticfor traveller's diarrhoea that makes use of the company's innovative MMX technology.

Azur snaps up FazaClo as Avanir reshuffles

03-Jul-2007 - Irish firm Azur Pharma is the proud new owner of schizophrenia drug FazaClo (clozapine), sold off by pharma firm Avanir as it struggles to scrape together resources to fund development of its lead candidate, Zenvia (dextromethorphan, quinidine).

Prolonged-release schizophrenia drug gets EU approval

02-Jul-2007 - A new and improved extended-release treatment for schizophrenia has been granted marketing authorisation by the European Commission. Invega (paliperidone) is a once-daily formulation that will be marketed by J&J subsidiary, Janssen-Cilag.

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