Genentech buys Lonza's GS Gene Expression System

27-Feb-2006 - Swiss outsourcing company Lonza has granted biotechnology firm Genentech a non-exclusive, worldwide license to their Glutamine Synthetase (GS) Gene Expression System which offers better yields, speed and stability in cell...

Olympus releases new TIRF microscopy objectives

27-Feb-2006 - A new family of objectives from Olympus specifically for Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM) can selectively visualise processes and structures of the cell membrane, minimising photo-damage and allowing cells...

Singapore strives to boost science R&D

27-Feb-2006 - Singapore's Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI) will commit $7.5bn (€63.1bn) over the next five years to drive R&D growth in key industry areas such as biomedical science and increase...

Chrono Therapeutics makes drug delivery tick

27-Feb-2006 - Drug delivery company Chrono Therapeutics has unveiled a wristwatch-like device for the non-invasive automatic administration of drugs based on the amount and time instructed, thus improving patience compliance.

In-PharmaTechnologist: Focus on India

India now second only to US as R&D powerhouse

27-Feb-2006 - India is emerging as a powerhouse of pharmaceutical R&D. Backed by a scientist president and with an army of talented scientists, the country now has R&D capacity second only to...

Q Chip customises drug delivery

24-Feb-2006 - British company Q Chip has upped the stakes in the drug delivery market with its new tailor-made bioencapsulation technology, claiming to improve drug effectiveness, reduce side effects and increase patient...

China draws Fisher further in

24-Feb-2006 - An insatiable Asian appetite for cell biology products has made Fisher Scientific's cell-culture unit expand its Beijing facility, making it the first non-native business to offer large-scale liquid-media manufacturing in...

Uni of Leicester announces world first forensic lab technique

24-Feb-2006 - A team of forensic pathologists are believed to be the world's first to use a new radiological laboratory approach for mass fatality investigations that could bring to the end current...

Microfiltration market set to grow

24-Feb-2006 - The global market for microfiltration (MF) membranes used in liquid separations is set to grow at an average annual rate of 9.4 per cent to more than $1.2bn (€1bn) by...

Vaccine-making contract goes to Cambrex

24-Feb-2006 - Cambrex Bio Science has been given a contract to manufacture Geron's GRNVAC1 telomerase vaccine for use in clinical trials and will now transfer production to its Walkersville, Maryland facility.

In-PharmaTechnologist: Focus on India

Western pharma has eyes glued on India

24-Feb-2006 - India has overtaken Germany and China as the pharmaceutical industry western executives most want to know about.

eClinical trials uptake meets industry resistance

23-Feb-2006 - According to a new report, the adoption of eClinical technologies has been hampered by the ability to take the electronic revolution to the next level, as the adoption of eClinical...

Biosante wins $250,000 research contract

22-Feb-2006 - Drug developer Biosante has been awarded a $250,000 (€210,000) subcontract from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln (UNL), to develop recombinant Factor IX (FIX) formulations for delivery via alternative routes of...

Ampac launches new thick-gauge lidstock

22-Feb-2006 - Packaging specialist Ampac has unveiled a new thick-gauge lidstock for demanding pharmaceutical applications, promising extra durability and protection.

PANalytical revamps its diffractometer

22-Feb-2006 - Dutch instrumentation specialist PANalytical has added new options to its X'Pert PRO MPD X-ray diffractometer, providing a total solution for high throughput diffraction and analysing almost any material.

Strong sales for BASF in 2005

22-Feb-2006 - Increased sales and price hikes helped BASF achieve record earnings in 2005, despite substantially higher raw material prices, Europe's subdued economy and hurricanes in the US.

Frog secretions may be used as mosquito repellent.

22-Feb-2006 - A species of frog, which may hold the key to future mosquito repellents, is set to open up new avenues of lab research into frog chemical ecology as researchers try...

Ometric speeds QC up

22-Feb-2006 - Analytic technology company Ometric is promising to revolutionalise quality control with software that achieves real-time, in-line final product testing at a rate of five tablets per second, minimising product recalls,...

Wine compound extract used as anti-aging drug?

21-Feb-2006 - A natural compound could become the starting molecule for the design of drugs that prolongs lifespan and delay the onset of aging-related traits in vertebrate organisms, supporting the potential utility...

Ceragenix' drug compound found to kill HIV strains

21-Feb-2006 - A consortium of researchers has detailed the activity of a novel drug compound that kills multiple HIV strains via a unique mechanism of action. The discovery brings with it hope...

Study highlights advantages of CELLine

20-Feb-2006 - A disposable two-compartment flask bioreactor designed by Swiss company Integra Biosciences has been shown to minimise production costs in a new study, as opposed to cell cultivation roller bottles which...

Optio Healthcare introduces new RFID solutions

20-Feb-2006 - Optio Healthcare introduces a new RFID and labelling solution, which allows healthcare facilities to generate thermal, barcode and RFID labels that can be used to track pharmaceuticals, as well as...

Herceptin's wider use comes closer to EU/US approval

20-Feb-2006 - Two days after it filed for approval of Hecerptin for the treatment of early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer in the US through its majority-own biotechnology firm Genentech, Swiss drugmaker Roche has...

Baxa releases new Adapta Cap bottle adapter

20-Feb-2006 - Baxa Corporation has launched the first cap specifically designed to fit sterile water bottles, which provide drip-free filling of Exacta-Med Oral Dispensers simplifying weight specific dosing and oral liquid medications.

ComplianceControl offers new regulatory database

20-Feb-2006 - IT specialist ComplianceControl has a introduced a comprehensive new directory of compliance regulations with precise and accessible information that can be used to assist pharmaceutical companies in co-ordinating their corporate...

BASF offers more chiral intermediates

17-Feb-2006 - Chemical company BASF has developed a process for the production of new chiral intermediates for the pharmaceutical industry on a commercial scale, further raising the product efficiency of drugs and...

Avantium to work on Warwick's PolyPEG

17-Feb-2006 - Warwick Effect Polymers (WEP) have chosen R&D outsourcing specialist Avantium to jointly develop their polyethylene glycol PolyPEG technology for biopharmaceutical compounds, enhancing their bioavailability and pharmacokinetics.

Degussa specialty chemicals supports RAG tender offer

17-Feb-2006 - German chemicals company, Degussa, said that its management board supported a full takeover by mining company RAG and urged shareholders to accept an offer price of €42 per share.

Researchers develop lab diagnostic methods for viral pathogens

17-Feb-2006 - Researchers are to develop new computational diagnostic methods for key viral pathogens, which are set to make the storage, retrieval, and exchange of molecular and diagnostic data on viral pathogens...

In-PharmaTechnologist insulin series

Insulin delivery devices - an industry under threat

17-Feb-2006 - The insulin delivery devices thriving in today's market will slowly be replaced as new and better technologies continue to rise from the R&D pipeline. For current market leader, Novo Nordisk,...

Capgemini wins Lilly outsourcing contract

17-Feb-2006 - Capgemini announces a £30 million outsourcing contract to support and transform the IT infrastructure at pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly, reinforcing an emerging trend that has seen companies outsource IT resources...

SIPLAS sign agreement for clinical trial support

16-Feb-2006 - Contract Research Organisation (CRO) Averion, and the SIPLAS Research Organisation has signed an agreement to provide promotion and support of clinical trials in a move that that reinforces Latin America...

Olympus promises to make microdissection routine

15-Feb-2006 - A new easy-to-use laser microdissection system from Olympus is set to shake up the isolation technology market by reducing sample handling and contamination when isolating cells for downstream analysis and...

Procter to develop Nastech osteoporosis drug

15-Feb-2006 - Biotechnology firm Nastech has chosen Procter & Gamble to develop and commercialise its osteoporosis nasal spray worldwide, in a lucrative deal that could reach $577m (€480m) over the life of...

Data shows Acumen Explorer benefits lab research

15-Feb-2006 - New data that shows the effectiveness of TTP LabTech's Acumen Explorer for high content screening at high throughput reveals the advances high content screening has made in applications such as...

SkinMedica targets acne with timed release approach

15-Feb-2006 - US pharmaceuticals and skin care specialist SkinMedica has developed a timed release delivery system for the active ingredients of an acne treatment that is said to up efficacy and lower...

Needlestick injuries beef up syringe market

15-Feb-2006 - According to a new report, the market for needle-free injection devices and safety syringes will exceed $2.49bn (€2.1bn) by 2009, buoyed on by the increase of incidences in needlestick injuries...

Angel to scale up ReNeuron's stem cell lines

15-Feb-2006 - British biotechnology firm Angel has won a manufacturing contract from stem cell therapeutics expert ReNeuron Group to produce a master cell bank for Huntington's disease, as the company's demand for...

Matthey buys Davy from Yukos for $71m

13-Feb-2006 - Johnson Matthey, a British catalyst, precious metals and chemicals firm with a division that provides contract manufacturing services of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to pharmaceutical companies, has bought chemical technology...

Wound care market benefits from antiseptic wand

13-Feb-2006 - Dermisonics have come up with the first working model of an antiseptic delivery system, which the company hope to provide the US army with a battlefield version, reducing the severity...

Amgen expands on Puerto Rico with $1bn investment

13-Feb-2006 - Responding to growing demand, Biotechnology giant Amgen has announced an expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Puerto Rico, investing $1 billion (€835 million) in the project over the next four years.

In-PharmaTechnologist insulin series

As Exubera dives into murky waters, will it sink or swim?

13-Feb-2006 - Recently approved, Exubera is the first in a line up of needle-free insulins promising to win the hearts of diabetics. Amidst all the hype, some market analysts predict it will...

Yeast could deliver insulin as a spray

13-Feb-2006 - UK scientists think that diabetes patients could be able to receive insulin via a nasal spray using yeast, which would open up the way for a spray to be developed...

Shire seeks approval for its ulcerative colitis drug in Europe

10-Feb-2006 - Specialty pharmaceutical firm Shire has filed for approval to European Regulatory Agencies of SPD476, an ulcerative colitis drug which uses Cosmo's cutting-edge MMX multi matrix system, promising to give the...

SAFC launches supply solutions business

10-Feb-2006 - SAFC, a member of the Sigma-Aldrich Group, has launched a supply solutions business, which aims to combine its Specialties business with the manufacturing site that was acquired from Degussa last...

NASA cash for nanotech drug delivery company

10-Feb-2006 - Nanotechnology company Nanotrope has been awarded a $600,000 (€500,000) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 grant from NASA for its research in nanoscale droplet technology, which, apart from the...

RFID production to increase 25-fold by 2010

10-Feb-2006 - According to a new report RFID production is to increase 25-fold in four years, buoyed on by the scramble by pharmaceutical manufacturers to comply with the new RFID Certification program,...

Celsis wins contracts with Mutual and Procter & Gamble

10-Feb-2006 - Outsourcing specialist Celsis Laboratory Group will provide contract testing services for drug firms Mutual and Procter & Gamble, advancing the company's status in this market.

Rapid lab diagnosis of urinary tract infections made quicker

10-Feb-2006 - A new laboratory test, which enables the rapid diagnosis of urinary tract infections with novel biosensor technology, has proved so successful that it may replace antiquated testing methods, saving health...

Management wobble costs Whatman sales

08-Feb-2006 - A hiatus in leadership, changes in accounting rules and a restructure in manufacturing have taken their toll on separations specialist Whatman, whose sales growth for last year appears stagnant, just...

Autopak unveils new dust removal system for tablets

08-Feb-2006 - Packaging specialist Autopak has launched a new tablet/capsule dust removal equipment which promises to meet the strictest of FDA cleaning requirements at a competitive price.

CDC avian flu lab test dubbed quickest yet

08-Feb-2006 - The Food and Drug Administration has announced the approval of a new laboratory test that provides preliminary results within four hours on suspected H5 influenza samples that previous technology required...

Dow receives world's first plant-made vaccine approval

08-Feb-2006 - Dow AgroSciences has received the world's first regulatory approval for a plant-made vaccine for animals, which not only represents a new category of plant-made vaccines but also paves the way...

Brecon doubles its UK site

08-Feb-2006 - Commercial packaging and clinical trials services provider Brecon Pharmaceuticals has completed the doubling in size of its facility in Hereford, responding to growing demands from its pharmaceutical customers.

IDT targets oligo market with new acquisition

08-Feb-2006 - Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), the largest supplier of custom nucleic acids in the US, has bought Texan oligonucleotide (oligo) supplier Synthegen, making further inroads into this fast-growing specialty market.

Affymetrix and Iconix deal assesses drug toxicity

07-Feb-2006 - Affymetrix and Iconix have formed a collaboration to develop new solutions for assessing the toxicological and pharmacological properties of drugs and drug candidates.

New drug-academia deal trains future 'pharma stars.'

07-Feb-2006 - A UK university has joined forces with a major pharmaceutical company in a unique collaboration, worth £2.5 million (€3.6 million) ensuring drug researchers of the future will be trained in...

Thermo's net earnings decline but demand for its products remains strong

06-Feb-2006 - Laboratory equipment maker Thermo Electron saw its Q4 net income fall 53 per cent to $56.5 (€47.2) m from $121.1 m a year ago due to one-time tax charges, but...

Agilent launches HPLC chips for drug discovery studies

06-Feb-2006 - Agilent's breakthrough HPLC-Chip technology forms the basis of its new reusable microfluidic chips, designed to compliment the company's high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chip/mass spectrometry (MS) modules.

Biocrystal promotes new cell culture technology

06-Feb-2006 - Biocrystal has upped the stakes in the cell culture market with Opticell, a product it claims brakes away from traditional cell culture concepts and promises to reduce costs through increased...

Patheon adds Merck to its clientele

06-Feb-2006 - Pharmaceutical manufacturer Patheon has reaffirmed its dominant position in the outsourcing market with the announcement of a five-year master supply agreement with drug giant Merck.

Amgen boosts UK presence by opening new facilities

06-Feb-2006 - Amgen are to create a European Development Centre in the UK, significantly increasing UK R&D employee numbers. Amgen's announcement echoes the UK Government's commitment to attract more R&D investment with...

Agilent's new MS/LC range conquers the "need for speed"

03-Feb-2006 - Agilent have dived in to grab a slice of the growing $1.3 bn mass spectrometry market with the launch of a series of new liquid chromatography-based mass spectrometry (LC/MS) systems...

Size matters for Isopak

03-Feb-2006 - Supplier of small-scale pharmaceutical equipment Isopak has launched what it claims is the smallest vacuum mixer with cooling and heating facilities in Europe for mixing dry powder, cream, ointments, paste...

ARTEL and Caliper deal enhances lab data integrity

03-Feb-2006 - A technology partnership between ARTEL and Caliper Life Sciences aims to enhance automated liquid delivery standards improving laboratory data integrity. The collaboration aims to manufacture technology to a level that...

Bayer CropScience to use Cresset technology

03-Feb-2006 - Bayer CropScience will use Cresset BioMolecular Discovery's molecular field technology to identify novel early-stage active compounds to develop into new agrochemicals for the crop science industry.

Pliva drops its German plant

03-Feb-2006 - Croatian drug firm Pliva has sold its Dresden production plant to Italy's Menarini Group as it tries to recover losses suffered by its failed venture in proprietor drugs and an...

Investors show faith in Biopure

03-Feb-2006 - Oxygen therapeutics company Biopure has announced another $3 million (€2.5 million) public offering to boost its working capital, despite its major drug for humans, Hemopure, an artificial blood product, being...

Top contenders for manufacturing accolade revealed

01-Feb-2006 - AstraZeneca, Baxter BioPharma Solutions, Daiichi Asubio Pharma, Janssen Pharmaceutica and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals are the finalists competing for this year's Facility of the Year Award, which recognizes innovation and cost effectiveness...

In-PharmaTechnologist insulin series

FDA fires the starting gun for Exubera

01-Feb-2006 - On your marks, get set go! The FDA has fired the starting gun and Pfizer is finally off and running after the long-awaited approval of Exubera - the world's first...

Researchers optimise vein spotting

01-Feb-2006 - Scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a small handheld device that makes finding veins easier and quicker, saving time and money.

Kidney disease lab research points to new therapies

01-Feb-2006 - Scientists have reported a discovery at the cellular level that suggests possibilities for drug therapy for kidney disease. This discovery could open up new avenues of laboratory research into the...

Sud-Chemie enters new markets with joint venture

01-Feb-2006 - Munich-based Sud-Chemie is set to expand its pharmaceutical packaging business to German-speaking markets with a joint venture with Swiss company Plaspaq SA.

Eisai chooses UK for key European base

01-Feb-2006 - Japanese health care firm Eisai will make Hatfield its European headquarters, in a major £75 million (€105 million) investment that demonstrates the UK's appeal for big pharmaceutical companies.