Regulatory & Safety

Companies "ignore supply chain risks"

04-Dec-2003 - Single sourcing, outsourcing, just-in-time delivery and a host of other cost-saving measures adopted by the pharmaceutical and other industries are saving money but putting firms at risk of supply chain failure, according to a new report from Cranfield School of Management.

New vaccines plant for Bavarian Nordic

03-Dec-2003 - Denmark-based vaccines company Bavarian Nordic is investing DK 250 million (€33.6m) in a production facility that will be the largest of its kind in Europe, producing up to 120 million vaccine doses a year.

US focus pays off for Cobra

03-Dec-2003 - UK firm Cobra Biomanufacturing has ended its first year as a publicly-listed company with a healthy 137 per cent increase in revenues to £6 million (€8.6m), helped by an expansion of its business in the US.

Akzo ready for assault on human vaccines market

03-Dec-2003 - Akzo Nobel opened a new biotech vaccines production facility in Boxmeer, the Netherlands, yesterday, that signposts a new ambition in human vaccines for the group.

Asthma drug will use SkyePharma inhaler tech

02-Dec-2003 - A new drug for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), developed by Swiss drugmaker Novartis, will make use of two technologies developed by UK drug delivery firm SkyePharma.

New Euro chief at Cambrex

02-Dec-2003 - Cambrex has continued its recruitment of top-level executives in its pharmaceutical and biopharma business unit with the appointment of Edward Robinson as executive vice president for Europe.

Hoefer separations business changes hands

01-Dec-2003 - Amersham Bioscience has sold its Hoefer one-dimensional electrophoresis business to Harvard Biosciences for around $5.3 million (€4.4m) in cash.

Sumitomo gears up for contract manufacturing

01-Dec-2003 - Japan's Sumitomo Chemical is absorbing its wholly-owned Sumika Fine Chemicals subsidiary and combining it with its own activities in this area to bolster its role as a supplier of pharmaceutical chemicals.

US deal will double BioProgress' film capacity

28-Nov-2003 - The new agreement between BioProgress and an unnamed US over-the-counter pharmaceuticals firm could double the UK company's capacity to manufacture cellulose films for drug encapsulation, according to chief executive Graham Hind.

NewCo float will go on, despite offers

27-Nov-2003 - Germany's Bayer has received offers to buy NewCo, the newly-created company including parts of its chemicals and polymers divisions, but will still go ahead with plans to float it on the stock exchange , according to the group's chairman Werner Wenning.

No more PURE water

27-Nov-2003 - PURE Biosciences of the USA has opted to sell off its water treatment business, which includes the Fillmaster line used in the pharmaceutical industry, in order to focus on its environmentally-friendly antimicrobial products.

Pliva hosts R&D day in London

25-Nov-2003 - Pliva, the Eastern European giant, is today hosting a R&D day in London. The company says that it plans to update investors and analysts alike on the recent developments in the company's R&D pipeline.

Pierre Fabre pulls out of Marseille

24-Nov-2003 - France's Pierre Fabre is to shut down a facility manufacturing over-the-counter pharmaceutical products at its Veyron & Froment subsidiary in Marseille. Production will be transferred...

Shift in strategy at Crucell no threat to licensing business

24-Nov-2003 - Like many life sciences companies before it, Crucell of the Netherlands has started a major shift in strategy from a technology platform company to one...

Italian expansion for LGC Promochem

24-Nov-2003 - LGC Promochem has opened a new sales office in Italy as part of its strategy to expand its network of operations across Europe. The opening...

Yeast encapsulator makes progress

24-Nov-2003 - Just three months after its flotation, UK microencapsulation start-up Micap has posted a modest loss in its first set of interim results but feels it...

Rhodia reveals job losses

21-Nov-2003 - Rhodia has revealed the extent of job cuts that will take place in the wake of its restructuring exercise, initiated in response to the financial...

Serono invests $200m in Israeli facility

21-Nov-2003 - Swiss biotechnology group Serono has unveiled a major $200 million (€168m) investment in a new facility, based in Ness Ziona in Israel, that will be...

Funding and capacity are key issues for European biopharma

20-Nov-2003 - Funding shortfalls and a capacity gap are threatening to hamper the European biopharmaceutical industry's progress and could lead to a reduction in its global market...

New helmsman at Cambrex

20-Nov-2003 - Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) specialist Cambrex has appointed a new president and chief executive charged with improving sales and profit growth at the firm. Gary...

Merger creates new anticounterfeiting player

20-Nov-2003 - Two companies specialising in technologies used in the prevention of counterfeiting, adulteration and diversion of products have merged to form a new player called Authentix....

Intercell farms out oligonucleotide production

19-Nov-2003 - Austrian vaccine developer Intercell has signed up Transgenomic to develop a manufacturing process for production of an immune-stimulating oligonucleotide which will be used as a...

Agilent back in the black at year-end

19-Nov-2003 - Agilent Technologies has reported a net profit of $13 million or 3 cents a share in the fourth quarter of its financial year, ended 31...

Novo turns to Neose for PEG

18-Nov-2003 - Novo Nordisk has entered into new collaboration with Neose Technologies that will lead to the development of long-acting versions of three of its protein therapeutics....

Merck drops investment in biopharma unit

18-Nov-2003 - Germany's Merck KGaA has pulled back from an earlier plan to invest in a new production plant for biopharmaceuticals at its Jena site. The company...