Boehringer steps up contract manufacturing in Mexico

30-Apr-2007 - Boehringer Ingelheim is stepping up its commercial contract manufacturing operation in Mexico to feed the ravenous North American market.

Carbenes offer new route to amino compounds

30-Apr-2007 - Chemists have found a way of activating ammonia that could have important implications for pharmaceutical research and development.

Germany next on AstraZeneca's hit list

30-Apr-2007 - Pharma giant AstraZeneca has announced the latest site to fall victim to its restructuring plans announced in February, with the company dropping one of its German plants and axing hundreds...

Cell-made flu vaccine gets green light from EU panel

30-Apr-2007 - Swiss drug major Novartis moved has closer to approval for an influenza vaccine that would do away with the use of cumbersome egg-based production techniques and speed up the supply...

PharmaFab agrees to stop unapproved drugs production

30-Apr-2007 - US contract manufacturer PharmaFab has agreed to stop the manufacturing and distribution of some of its drugs after regulators found they were produced illegally.

Technology Focus

Microwave-assisted science

26-Apr-2007 - Microwave instruments have been speeding up chemical reactions for over 20 years and the uptake of the technology is now spreading into the bioscience sector as well.

Owens-Illinois seals healthcare plastics joint venture in Mexico

26-Apr-2007 - Owens-Illinois, the US company best known as a manufacturer of glass containers, has finalised a 50/50 joint venture with Pavisa Industries to manufacture and sell plastic healthcare containers in Mexico...

Paladin Labs buys into film technology with BioEnvelop deal

26-Apr-2007 - Paladin Labs has reached an agreement in principle to acquire the outstanding shares of BioEnvelop Inc, which develops, manufactures and markets rapidly dissolving edible films for use as delivery systems...

Product news in brief

26-Apr-2007 - LabTechnologist.com brings you a round up of brings you a round up of some of the latest releases for use in pharmaceutical and life science laboratories from Agilent, Alligator Bioscience,...

US biotech drug spending rises while Congress debates 'biogenerics' law

26-Apr-2007 - Biologic drugs are expected to account for over a quarter of overall drug spending in the US by 2010, new research has revealed, and clearing the path for generic versions...

Roche updates on flu manufacturing; expands US unit

26-Apr-2007 - Roche gave an update on its manufacturing of influenza drug Tamiflu (oseltamivir) today, saying that while it had reached its target capacity of 400 million doses a year, demand is...

WHO to help fund bird flu vaccine plants in developing world

26-Apr-2007 - The World Health Organization is donating millions of dollars to help developing countries set up their own influenza vaccine production in preparation for a possible bird flu pandemic.

OctoPlus broadens rights to PolyActive delivery technology

26-Apr-2007 - Dutch company OctoPlus has extended its rights to the PolyActive delivery technology used in its lead drug candidate Locteron, based on interferon alfa.

Searching the colon crypt for biomarkers

26-Apr-2007 - Researchers have provided the first online searchable high-resolution 2D proteome of the human colon crypt to provide a tool for other proteomics researchers looking for biomarkers and drug targets.

e-Nose how to sniff the good from the bad

26-Apr-2007 - Alpha M.O.S. has recently released an update for its Fox electronic nose (e-Nose) to provide faster analytical analysis of samples in R&D, quality control (QC) and process monitoring settings. ...

Oral patch data means smiles all around at BDSI

25-Apr-2007 - A novel buccal patch formulation of the opioid painkiller fentanyl is on track to be filed for approval in the third quarter of this year, following encouraging efficacy data from...

BioQuate stands firm on patent infringement suit

25-Apr-2007 - BioQuate has denied claims that its mainstay device for improving media throughput and maintaining sterile system integrity in biotechnology production, infringes on a patent for a rival product marketed by...

Corn-based plastic heading for pharma packaging use?

25-Apr-2007 - A crop-based alternative to regular plastics that is biodegradeable and compostable, developed by biotechnology firm Metabolix and agriculture giant Archer Daniels Midland, is to be developed for pharmaceutical applications.

Roquette wins US patent for StarLac in novel dosage form

25-Apr-2007 - French company Roquette has been awarded a US patent for a dissolve-in-the-mouth drug delivery technology that makes use of its novel StarLac excipient.

India's Jubilant buys US-based CMO

25-Apr-2007 - Indian contract research and manufacturing services (CRAMS) firm Jubilant Organosys has announced the purchase of US-based company Hollister-Stier Laboratories for $122.5m (€90m) in what represents one of the largest overseas...

New deals for ProBioGen's cell engineering group

25-Apr-2007 - ProBioGen, a specialist in mammalian cell engineering and cell culture, has entered into two separate agreements to develop therapeutic proteins with Egyptian drug manufacturer Minapharm..

Gene repair technology provokes biotech formation

25-Apr-2007 - A new biotech company has been formed to fully exploit technology for repairing genes that cause rare, hereditary diseases such as sickle cell anaemia and spinal muscular atrophy.

Senate bill aims to give FDA more power

24-Apr-2007 - A bill aimed at tightening up the Food and Drug Administration's oversight of prescription drug safety moved one small step closer to the statute books late last week after it...

Varian launches dissolution system for drug-device combinations

24-Apr-2007 - Varian has launched a new dissolution system specifically geared to testing small drug volumes in medical devices such as implants or drug-eluting stents.

E. coli offers short-cut to large-scale antibody production

24-Apr-2007 - A new method for generating large volumes of therapeutic antibodies direct from Escherichia coli bacterium could knock weeks off conventional mass-production processes that scale up to mammalian cells, US researchers...

New Novozymes unit backs animal-free protein production

24-Apr-2007 - Denmark's Novozymes has set up a dedicated business unit in the UK to make and sell ingredients that support companies wanting to produce biopharmaceuticals without using animal-derived constituents.

Industry news in brief

24-Apr-2007 - LabTechnologist.com presents its periodic round up of recent industry news with new developments at Affymetrix, Agilent, Eksigent, NuGEN, PANalytical and Shimadzu Corporation.

GSK may tap Futura for topical pain relief product

24-Apr-2007 - UK firm Futura Medical is in the running for a second license contract for one of its drug delivery platforms after pharma heavyweight GlaxoSmithKline came to the table to discuss...

Cold-form film, security foil boost Constantia in pharma

24-Apr-2007 - Successful applications of cold-form film and security foil helped the Pharma/Healthcare division of Austria's Constantia Packaging to deliver above-average growth in 2006, the company reported.

Freeman Technology wins Queen's Award

24-Apr-2007 - Freeman Technology has been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise 2007 for Innovation and recognises the development, commercialisation and sales success of its FT4 Powder Rheometer.

Jeol puts viruses under the microscope

24-Apr-2007 - The ever increasing sales of high-voltage field emission Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEMs) highlights the growing importance of understanding structure-activity relationships in structural biology.

Amgen posts strong results after Aranesp relief

24-Apr-2007 - Biotech giant Amgen has posted healthy results for the first quarter following a positive performance by its blockbuster anaemia drug Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa).

Winners of Life Science Industry Awards revealed

23-Apr-2007 - The winners of this year's Life Science Industry Awards have been announced, after scientists from across the world voted for the "best-in-class" companies in the sector.

DelSite smells success for novel flu vaccine

23-Apr-2007 - A nasal powder flu vaccine is one step closer as DelSite Biotechnologies announces that it has found an antigen to use with its novel drug delivery system.

Pharmaceutical industry biding its time on RFID adoption

23-Apr-2007 - While technology cost and lack of a demonstrated return on investment constitute the biggest barrier to adoption of radio frequency identification (RFID) in the pharmaceutical industry, the lack of a...

BioProgress nudges into profit with new market-driven profile

23-Apr-2007 - A new market-oriented approach to product development, more favourable licensing arrangements, strategic acquisitions and a fresh crop of proprietary drug-delivery technologies helped UK company BioProgress to deliver an adjusted operating...

Promed's Indian injectables plant opens

23-Apr-2007 - Indian contract manufacturer Promed has finally opened its newly-built parenteral manufacturing plant in Himachal Pradeshon, India.

ATMI LifeSciences takes joint-venture route into Asia-Pacific

19-Apr-2007 - ATMI LifeSciences, a Belgian company that manufactures and supplies film-based single-use packaging products for the biopharmaceutical industry, has set up a joint venture, ATMI Austar LifeSciences, Ltd, in the Shanghai...

Northwestern researchers find route to single-isomer flavonoids

19-Apr-2007 - A research team at Northwestern University in Illinois, US, has found a new way of synthesising chiral forms of flavonoids that could make them easier to manufacture and enhance their...

Millipore launches disposable mixing tech

19-Apr-2007 - A new single-use mixing system for pharmaceutical ingredients has been announced by biopharma manufacturing specialists Millipore.

ABI to speed up drug compound screening

19-Apr-2007 - Applied Biosystems (ABI) and MDS Analytical have released a first-of-its kind mass spectrometry (MS) platform that they claim will allow the pharmacokinetic analysis of drug libraries 25 times faster.

Product news in brief

19-Apr-2007 - LabTechnologist.com brings you a round up of some of the latest releases for use in pharmaceutical and life science laboratories.

Lonza splashes out on biomanufacturing expansion

19-Apr-2007 - Swiss contract manufacturer Lonza has announced it will invest around $300m (€220m) in the expansion of its US biomanufacturing plant, just two weeks after kicking off the construction of a...

Pharmaceutical manufacturing: People on the move

19-Apr-2007 - Biovitrum, China Biopharma, Molecular Insight Pharmaceuticals, Pipex Pharma and CH2M Hill have all had people on the move in the world of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

There's something fishy in the water

19-Apr-2007 - A new method to identify the extent of contamination of our waterways by pharmaceutical products has identified three products previously unknown to accumulate in fish.

Gelatine-based vectors offer smoother passage for gene therapy

19-Apr-2007 - Gelatine-based nanoparticles may offer a new delivery route for gene therapy that skirts the complications of viral-based vectors.

Genta gives Genasense another chance

19-Apr-2007 - Genta is giving its lead anticancer product Genasense another chance by announcing its plans to conduct a new late-stage clinical trial of the drug, despite having previously been turned down...

Cell Genesys immunotherapy is patient specific

19-Apr-2007 - Positive results from trials of Cell Genesys's latest immunotherapy treatment, GVAX, show that the therapy induces a broad immune response in prostate cancer sufferers that is patient specific.

Multisorb absorbs UK active packaging firm

19-Apr-2007 - US firm Multisorb Technologies yesterday announced that it has bought up Silgel Packaging, a fellow manufacturer of desiccant packaging products.

First customer for USP's ingredient verification service

18-Apr-2007 - The Pharmaceutical Ingredient Verification Program offered by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has scored its first taker, with Indian firm Dr Reddy's Laboratories yesterday announcing that it had signed up...

SCOLR pushes ahead with 12-hour ibuprofen

18-Apr-2007 - Drug delivery specialist SCOLR Pharma plans to file a US New Drug Application (NDA) in the latter half of 2008 for a 12-hour tablet formulation of the painkiller ibuprofen.

Excipient aims to improve cancer treatment

18-Apr-2007 - Pro-Pharmaceuticals is preparing to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for its lead product candidate, Davanat, as a functional excipient that promises to hike the efficacy and cut the side...

New technologies, needs will spur transdermal/transmucosal delivery

18-Apr-2007 - A combination of new drugs, new patient needs and new technologies is likely to fuel steady growth in the transdermal/transmucosal drug delivery market during the years to 2010.

FDA gives Sanofi thumbs up for first bird flu vaccine

18-Apr-2007 - Sanofi-Aventis' H5N1 bird flu vaccine has won approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a limited protection measure in case of a pandemic.

Dose-by-dose does it for 3M

18-Apr-2007 - A new integrated dose counter is being launched this week by 3M's drug delivery systems business, providing a new solution to recent regulatory requirements for metered dose inhalers.

LibraGen's new active molecules hit the market

18-Apr-2007 - French bioprocess specialist LibraGen has released its first family of active molecules produced using the firm's biocatalysis technology onto the market.

Patheon drops OTC biz in major restructure

18-Apr-2007 - Canadian contract manufacturer Patheon has announced its plans to restructure its Ontario network of drug manufacturing facilities in order to improve its profitability.

Sanofi ups production capacity after vaccine go-ahead

18-Apr-2007 - Reports of a €200m expansion at Sanofi Pasteur's production plant in Rouen, France, have come hot on the heels of news that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has...

Chromos restructures as bankruptcy looms

17-Apr-2007 - The fortunes of Canadian company Chromos Molecular Systems have taken an abrupt turn for the worse after the successive collapse of a co-development deal for the company's experimental monoclonal antibody,...

Viropro inks production tech deal

17-Apr-2007 - Canadian firm Viropro last week announced that it has entered into an R&D collaboration agreement with products and services company Invitrogen.

Millipore brings RFID to pharma filtration

17-Apr-2007 - Millipore is launching the first in a line of filtration products for the biopharmaceutical industry with embedded Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology to facilitate record-keeping and data transfer in the...

Industry news in brief

17-Apr-2007 - LabTechnologist.com presents its periodic round up of recent industry news with new developments at Agilent, Ciphergen, Illumina, Inverness, PerkinElmer and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

GE pockets single-use biotech firm

17-Apr-2007 - GE Healthcare has snapped up specialist in disposable manufacturing technologies Wave Biotech, adding a host of new products and services for the biopharmaceutical manufacturing sector to its catalogue.

Avant cuts 30 per cent staff in 'painful' restructuring

17-Apr-2007 - Avant Immunotherapeutics will reduce its workforce by a third as part of a "painful" restructuring aimed at cutting operational costs, the US-based firm announced this week.

deltaDOT's Peregrine preys on mass spec applications

17-Apr-2007 - UK company, deltaDOT is awaiting the completion of its second production run of its novel high-resolution molecular analyser - the Peregrine - with over half the batch already sold.

IPS makes a move to India

17-Apr-2007 - Integrated Project Services (IPS) has announced it has opened two offices in India in a bid to expand its services into this budding region.

Bobst moves Braille embossing down the production line

17-Apr-2007 - Switzerland's Bobst has introduced a new system for embossing Braille characters on pharmaceutical packaging that moves the process down the production line from die-cutting to the folding and gluing stage.

Reactions feel the pressure in enclosed spaces

17-Apr-2007 - A new high pressure microreactor has been developed that increases chemical reaction rates compared to conventional alternatives - potentially saving exploratory chemistry labs time and space.

Leading pharmaceutical news franchise expands into US

17-Apr-2007 - Decision News Media leads the field in Europe for online pharmaceutical technology news with its In-PharmaTechnologist.com, and now plans to repeat the trick on the other side of the Atlantic....

IMA buys out rival

16-Apr-2007 - The IMA Group announced late last week that it has successfully bought one of its leading competitors in a deal worth €1.4m.

Skye formulation accepted for GSK drug

16-Apr-2007 - UK firm SkyePharma last week announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted a filing for the extended release formulation of partner GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) drug Requip (ropinirole).

Polymeric pain relief product to hit the shelves

16-Apr-2007 - US firm Skinvisible last week announced that its polymer-based delivery system has been licensed to pain relief company DRJ for use in a new topical analgesic product.

Contract manufacturing news in brief

16-Apr-2007 - Hyaluron, MultiCell Technologies and Affitech have all announced new contract manufacturing deals this week.

'Germinating' sperm from stem cells

16-Apr-2007 - A new study has shown that certain human bone marrow stem cells can differentiate into sperm stem cells - potentially leading to a revolution in fertility therapy.

Exubera has opened door for pulmonary delivery growth

16-Apr-2007 - While the market performance of Exubera may have fallen short of expectations, Pfizer's inhaled insulin has opened the door for a wider variety of macromolecules to take the pulmonary delivery...

EuropaBio urges EU members to unite in biotech strategy

13-Apr-2007 - The European Union's (EU) member states must take their responsibilities to implement the biotech policy proposed by the European Commission (EC), said EuropaBio, the EU industry body.

MedImmune 'for sale'

13-Apr-2007 - Biotech company MedImmune has finally given in to recent pressure from its shareholders and announced yesterday it is putting itself up for sale.

Genentech financially strong while Amgen struggles

13-Apr-2007 - Genentech, the world's second biggest biotech company, has shown a strong performance in the first quarter while its main rival Amgen is trying to regain momentum after a difficult year.

Curious case of Combivir tampering in California

12-Apr-2007 - The problem of drug tampering and counterfeiting came to the fore again yesterday after it emerged that bottles of GlaxoSmithKline's widely-used HIV drug Combivir (lamivudine and zidovudine) actually contained another...

ImClone slides as pancreatic cancer trial misses mark

12-Apr-2007 - Shares in US biotech ImClone Systems fell on Tuesday after a highly-anticipated trial of its cancer drug Erbitux (cetuximab) in pancreatic cancer failed to live up to expectations.

Millipore adds small-volume sampler to NovaSeptum range

12-Apr-2007 - Millipore has added a small-volume unit to the NovaSeptum range of sterile disposable sampling systems it acquired with Swedish company NovAseptic in July 2005.

Agilent launch first microarray assay for miRNA

12-Apr-2007 - The first commercially available microarray based assay for microRNA (miRNA) has been launched by Agilent to aid in drug discovery research programs.

Gilead shifts Irish ops

12-Apr-2007 - Major biopharma Gilead Sciences has announced plans to invest in a new €60m plant in west Dublin, Ireland, to expand manufacturing capacity and meet future growth targets.

Vical's super-boosting vaccine adjuvant

12-Apr-2007 - US firm Vical has announced study results revealing a flu vaccine reinforced with the firm's Vaxfectin adjuvant results in an antibody response 60 times higher than the vaccine alone, and...

United Drug enters mainland Europe with packaging buy

12-Apr-2007 - United Drug has acquired a contract packaging business from Budelpack International, making good on an earlier promise to seize opportunities to expand its outsourcing businesses.

'Perfect time' for big pharma/biotech alliance deals

12-Apr-2007 - Now is an ideal time for small biotechs to ink that perfect deal with big pharma, attendees heard at the recently held Biotrinity conference in Oxfordshire, UK.

Charles River's mini-lab 'out of this world'

12-Apr-2007 - Charles River Laboratories' portable endotoxin testing system, the Endosafe PTS, has been successfully used to detect bacteria on the International Space Station (ISS).

Harnessing the therapeutic power of venom

12-Apr-2007 - A new peptide library could make it easier for drug developers to fully exploit the known therapeutic effects of venoms.

Amgen CFO walks away

12-Apr-2007 - Amgen is seeing its chief financial officer (CFO) walk away while the Californian biotech giant tries to heal its wounds after a difficult year.

DHS clarifies rules on plant security

11-Apr-2007 - New federal security regulations for high-risk chemical facilities in the US will not automatically take precedence over tougher provisions on chemical security already introduced by some states.

US pharma sector suffers shoddy rep

11-Apr-2007 - A report out this week has revealed the languishing reputation of the pharmaceutical industry among Americans, with only 35 per cent of people claiming to have a 'favourable' opinion of...

DOR's oral leuprolide to start trials mid-year

11-Apr-2007 - US company DOR BioPharma plans to start clinical trials in the next few months with what could be the first oral formulation of the widely used prostate cancer treatment leuprolide.

Caterpillar cells to churn out flu vaccine

11-Apr-2007 - An experimental flu vaccine produced in insect cells could be a potential money-saver for pharma firms, and has proved just as effective as vaccines produced using conventional egg-based techniques.

Abbott's new biotech plant on the 'Bio Island' good to go

11-Apr-2007 - US pharma Abbott has announced the opening of its new state-of the-art biologics manufacturing plant in Puerto Rico.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing: People on the move

11-Apr-2007 - Xcellerex, Intranasal Therapeutics, Emisphere, Catalyst Pharmaceutical and Amgen have all had people on the move in the world of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Pharmatek opens new plant; Pace buys P3

11-Apr-2007 - Pharmatek has moved to a new larger lab and manufacturing facility while Pace Analytical Life Sciences recently acquired lab testing firm P3 Scientific.

Merck & Co signs up for Codexis biocatalyst panels

10-Apr-2007 - Codexis netted another big pharma client for its biocatalytic process technologies as Merck & Co became the first subscriber to Codex Biocatalyst Panels, a new research product that gauges the...

Product News in Brief

10-Apr-2007 - A round up of recent product releases from across the industry, including new offerings from ABI, Affymetrix, Agilent, Aspectrics, Bio-Rad, Millipore and Waters.

Jasco takes chromatography supercritical

10-Apr-2007 - A new range of preparative scale supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) and extraction (SFE) products promises cheaper and faster separations and extractions.

Mar Cor buys dialysis water business from GE

10-Apr-2007 - Mar Cor Purification has bought GE Water and Process Technologies' dialysis water business for $30.6m (€22.8m) to become the largest provider of dialysis water in the US, and plans to...

US stem cell patents 'invalid'

10-Apr-2007 - An initial ruling on the validity of three key US stem cell patents could lead to human embryonic stem cells becoming cheaper and more accessible in the US.

New machine targets clinical trials market

10-Apr-2007 - A British packaging machinery firm has launched a new machine for labs packing quality samples for clinical trials.

Multi-talented RFID tag hits pharma market

10-Apr-2007 - The first radio frequency identification (RFID) tag that authenticates, encrypts data and monitors product temperature hit the shelves last week, aimed specifically at protecting the pharmaceutical supply chain.

Leveraging the detection of proteins to new limits

10-Apr-2007 - A new millimetre-sized cantilever biosensor has been developed that can detect cells and proteins at lower levels than ever before even under flow conditions, opening the way for new biomarker...

BIA backs up pro-hybrid embryos report

10-Apr-2007 - The BioIndustry Association (BIA) said it fully supports a UK Parliamentary Committee report which endorses the creation of animal-human embryonic hybrids in drug research.

US equity market potential goldmine for biotech companies

10-Apr-2007 - The US equity market is open to biotech companies and it is a good time for them to raise money, delegates heard at Biotrinity in Oxfordshire, UK.

New software to aid FDA compliance

05-Apr-2007 - US firm Fullscope has announced the availability of a new software and services package to help pharmaceutical and life science companies achieve and maintain US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)...

Akorn warned over GMP failings at Decatur plant

05-Apr-2007 - Akorn, a US pharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and markets branded and generic diagnostics and therapeutics for niche segments such as ophthalmology, rheumatology and anaesthesia, has received a warning letter...

FDA drug and biologic inspections reach five-year low

05-Apr-2007 - As the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) came under heavy fire for cuts in inspections at a time when safety alerts are mounting up, agency statistics showed that inspections...

Industry News in Brief

05-Apr-2007 - A round up of recent industry news from Abbott Laboratories, Bio-Rad, Horiba, MDS Nordion, Nimblegen, Roche Diagnostics and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Germany's IWKA sheds its packaging division

05-Apr-2007 - IWKA, a German automation specialist that designs and builds manufacturing and packaging systems, is selling its packaging division to Berlin-based investment company Odewald & Compagnie for around €255 million.

On-line glucose measuring with Finesse

05-Apr-2007 - The first step towards true in-line glucose monitoring for cell culture bioprocesses has been made that will allow greater control over the bioprocess manufacturing.

Are you prepared for Mother Nature?

05-Apr-2007 - Many sites are utterly unprepared in the face of a natural disaster and are paying a heavy price if they are unlucky enough to be affected, delegates heard at last...

PerkinElmer buys imaging software specialist

05-Apr-2007 - PerkinElmer have continued to expand their cellular imaging portfolio with the acquisition of software company Improvision.

Microneedle tech to boost intradermal drug delivery

05-Apr-2007 - Drug delivery technology firm Apogee has signed an exclusive licence to get its hands on a microneedle-based drug delivery technology that it hopes will significantly enhance the company's PyraDerm intradermal...

Spanish group finds recyclable medium for thioether derivatives

05-Apr-2007 - A group of researchers at the University of the Basque Country in Spain has developed a method of synthesising thioether derivatives using a cheap, non-toxic and recyclable medium that could...

AAIPharma completes $2m boost to manufacturing capacity

04-Apr-2007 - AAIPharma yesterday announced that it has completed a major round of upgrades to two of its manufacturing plants in the US.

Becton Dickinson broaches US safety pen market

04-Apr-2007 - Becton Dickinson (BD) has extended its existing franchise in safety injection products and insulin delivery technologies into the safety pen needle market, with the US launch of the BD AutoShield...

Advancis tries again with once-daily, lower-dose amoxicillin

04-Apr-2007 - Advancis Pharmaceutical Corporation, a US company focused on developing and marketing novel anti-infectives, has refiled a US New Drug Application (NDA) for Amoxicillin Pulsys, its once-daily, pulsatile-release antibiotic for the...

Pharmaceutical manufacturing: People on the move

04-Apr-2007 - DSM, Ipsen, Somaxon and MonoSolRx have all had people on the move in the world of pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Ajinomoto launches stable dipeptide

04-Apr-2007 - US-based Ajinomoto Aminoscience has launched AminoStable, an L-Alanyl-L-Glutamine dipeptide for use in pharmaceutical products and cell culture media.

Vetter wins award for best facility processes

04-Apr-2007 - German contract manufacturer Vetter Pharma-Fertigung has been bestowed with a "facility of the year award" for the processes employed at its new injectables plant.

Pfizer spies pSivida's injectable eye treatment

04-Apr-2007 - Pfizer has homed in pSivida's controlled release drug delivery technology, signing a research and licensing deal worth $165m (€123.5m) and focusing keenly on the company's Medidur technology for new ophthalmic...

Amgen puts the brakes on Irish plant plans

04-Apr-2007 - US biotech Amgen has announced plans to delay construction of its major new manufacturing plant in Cork, Ireland.

Adams taps into MonoSol's fast-dissolve technology

03-Apr-2007 - A thin-film delivery system that looks like a postage stamp and dissolves rapidly on the tongue could give new momentum to Adams Respiratory Therapeutics' portfolio of prescription and over-the-counter medicines...

PharmEng consolidates acetaminophen supply with China's Bayi

03-Apr-2007 - Canadian-based consulting and contract manufacturing company PharmEng International has built on an existing sourcing arrangement with Bengbu Bayi Pharmaceuticals to secure exclusive distribution rights to the Chinese company's bulk acetaminophen...

Alphacos offers new guard against needle-stick injuries

03-Apr-2007 - Swiss packaging-machine manufacturer Alphacos has launched a new product to help protect healthcare workers using pre-filled syringes against needlestick injuries.

Patient info leaflets found lacking

03-Apr-2007 - A study into the effectiveness of written information supplied with drugs in patient information leaflets (PILs) has found the inserts wanting, with complicated language, bad design and a lack of...

Pack-size limits pointless in paracetamol poisoning

03-Apr-2007 - A report this week suggests that enforced restrictions in pack size for paracetamol (acetaminophen) in the UK may have had little or no impact on reducing the number of paracetamol...

Contract manufacturing news in brief

03-Apr-2007 - Diosynth and Pharmatek have both announced new contract manufacturing deals while WuXi PharmaTech installs a new "green" enantiomer technology.

Have your say: New excipient GMP regs

02-Apr-2007 - Excipient manufacturers and users are being encouraged to take part in an online consultation set up by the European Commission to assess the impact of kicking off formal good manufacturing...

Singapore growing biopharma strength

02-Apr-2007 - As Swiss firm Lonza announced last week that it has broken ground at its second manufacturing site in Singapore, the region looks set for growth in biologics manufacture with biological...

GE and BAC extend purification pact

02-Apr-2007 - GE Healthcare and the Bio Affinity Company (BAC) have extended their biopharmaceutical partnership to develop purification media for Factor VIII (FVIII) for the treatment of haemophilia A.

Contract formulators called on to ease bottlenecks

02-Apr-2007 - Contract formulation firms are being increasingly relied upon to ease drug development bottlenecks being created by new drug discovery technologies.

New home for the EU's pharmaceutical quality standards

02-Apr-2007 - The Council of Europe has inaugurated new premises for its European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM) in Strasbourg.