Hovione's sales crack $100m barrier for first time

30-Jun-2008 - Portuguese active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) developer Hovione says that its sales for the year ended March 31st 2008, which at $103.7m (€65.5m) were up 11 per cent on the previous...

'Trojan horse' crosses blood-brain barrier

30-Jun-2008 - An advance in drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) has been made according to research published in PLoS ONE.

Parallel traders EU counterfeiting response

30-Jun-2008 - Parallel traders have hit back at some of the EU Commission's anti-counterfeiting measures and big pharma's support for them.

Upfront launches disposable chromatography units

30-Jun-2008 - Industrial separation specialist Upfront Chromatography believes that its new range of disposable absorption chromatography units will help monoclonal antibody (MAb) makers significantly reduce production costs.

Drug delivery development news in brief

30-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTechnologist's round-up of developments in the field of drug delivery, this week includes: a developmental micro-needle approach for ocular medications; AlphaRx' anti-infective Zysolin nanoparticles; and OptiNose's nasal migraine treatment.

New test makes the drug cheats easier to detect

27-Jun-2008 - US researchers have developed a more sensitive method of detecting whether athletes have taken drugs to artificially boost testosterone which increases physical performance.

Artel to open up America for IonGate

27-Jun-2008 - High throughput (HT) screening expert IonGate has joined forces with liquid handling quality assurance leader Artel to support its drug discovery research technology in the US.

Sigma-Aldrich launches HT plasmid DNA purification kit

27-Jun-2008 - Sigma-Aldrich has introduced a new high-throughput (HT) plasmid DNA purification kit for transfection applications in pharmaceutical and biotechnology research.

Sterilin targets the purity of laboratory analyses

27-Jun-2008 - Newly formed independent business, Sterilin Ltd., is aiming to increase the quality of laboratory analyses with its range of single-use labware.

Insulin Nanopump prototype tests completed

26-Jun-2008 - STMicroelectronics (ST) and Debiotech, which are based in Lausanne and Geneva respectively, have completed the production of an evaluation prototype of their insulin Nanopump.

GSK reviews Montrose API plant

26-Jun-2008 - UK drug major GlaxoSmithKline is examining operations at its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing plant in Montrose, Scotland, with an eye to potential job cuts.

West syringe to minimise leachables

26-Jun-2008 - West has launched the first silicone-oil-free, prefillable syringe, which minimises the quantity of leachables in the pharmaceutical product.

Sanofi launches $6.25bn vaccine battle plan

26-Jun-2008 - Sanofi-Aventis is to invest $6.25bn into vaccine production between now and 2015 as the company attempts to keep pace with rising demand.

Counterfeiting conference to hear of burden in developing world

26-Jun-2008 - Visiongain's third annual conference on Pharmaceutical Anti-counterfeiting Strategies kicks off next week, covering many aspects of the problem from technological deterrents, regulatory developments in the EU and US and the...

Microbix Chinese vaccine plant boosts global capacity by 20%

25-Jun-2008 - Canada-based Microbix has pulled off a coup in sealing a deal with the Chinese government for construction of a facility that will increase the world's vaccine supply by 20 per cent.

QIMS can help drugmakers reduce cleaning downtime

25-Jun-2008 - A recent study conducted by Eli Lilly's research laboratories division suggests that quantitative ion mobility spectrometry (qIMS) can offer drugmakers a rapid on-site means of verifying the cleanliness of manufacturing...

Pfizer pays fine to settle allegations of PharmaMACT violations

25-Jun-2008 - Pfizer has agreed to pay $975,000 to resolve alleged violations of PharmaMACT regulations, in the first settlement of its type in a federal court.

IndiaSoft gets DynoChem distribution contract

25-Jun-2008 - IndiaSoft Technologies, which is headquartered in the city of Pune in Maharashtra state has won the contract to distribute Performance Fluid Dynamics' (PFD) DynoChem productivity software to drug manufacturers in...

Contract manufacturing round up

25-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTehcnologist.com presents a round-up of recent developments in contract manufacturing, including deals for Scil Proteins and ANDAPharm.

NanoEncryption anti-counterfeiting gains FDA approval

24-Jun-2008 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved NanoEncryption technology, a method for applying anti-counterfeit measures to dosage forms.

Krka buys minority stakes in two Chinese API and chemicals producers

24-Jun-2008 - Slovenian drugmaker Krka has paid just under $1.6m (€1m) for 7.5 per cent stakes in two Chinese drug and chemicals firms, namely Zhejiang Menovo Pharmaceuticals and Anhui Menovo Pharmaceuticals.

Repackaging ban 'most powerful tool to prevent counterfeiting in Europe'

24-Jun-2008 - European pharmaceutical manufacturers stepped up calls for a blanket ban on repackaging of pharmaceuticals last week, suggesting that this would be the single most effective way to seal the supply...

Nventa hopes Poly-ICR will elicit a strong response

24-Jun-2008 - Nventa Biopharmaceuticals hopes that the enhanced durability of its new Poly IC-Poly arginine (Poly-ICR) adjuvant will help it capture a significant share of the therapeutic and prophylactic vaccine markets.

Strativa licenses MonoSol's delivery technology

24-Jun-2008 - Strativa Pharmaceuticals has acquired exclusive US commercialisation rights to MonoSol Rx's thin film technology for delivering ondansetron.

BASF signs up to USP excipient scheme

23-Jun-2008 - BASF's drug excipient manufacturing site in Geismar, Louisiana in the USA has been accredited under the US Pharmacopoeia's (USP) voluntary certification scheme.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing: people on the move

23-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com presents its periodic round-up of personnel changes in the pharmaceutical sector.

EU counterfeiting response is far from generic

23-Jun-2008 - Continuing in the series analysing the industries response to the EU's counterfeiting measures in-PharmaTechnologist.com tackles the generic industry's reply.

POMSnet helps cut production errors

23-Jun-2008 - US technology specialist Honeywell International says that new features of its POMSnet manufacturing execution system (MES) can help pharmaceutical firms reduce production errors.

Merger across Pacific to create mega biofacility

23-Jun-2008 - A merger between PacificGMP and Pacific Biopharma Group is to create one of the largest single-use biomanufacturing facilities in the US or China.

Qiagen expands EpiTect assay line to simplify cancer research

20-Jun-2008 - Dutch assay experts Qiagen are aiming to remove the bottlenecks hindering important research into the epigenetics of cancer and hereditary diseases with the expansion of its EpiTect product line.

Lilly and Rexam expanding facilities for insulin pens

19-Jun-2008 - Eli Lilly and Rexam are both investing in their French manufacturing facilities in preparation for the production of an insulin pen they are developing.

Patheon shifts HQ as reshaping continues

19-Jun-2008 - Patheon, fresh from announcing a new corporate brand and logo, has continued its makeover by moving its corporate headquarters from Toronto in Canada to Research Triangle Park in North Carolina,...

Celltrion and SAFC collaborate on media optimization

19-Jun-2008 - South Korean biopharmaceutical firm Celltrion is teaming up with SAFC Biosciences to improve its manufacture of biologically-active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).

Pharmaceutical manufacturing news in brief

19-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com's periodic round-up of developments in the pharmaceutical manufacturing space includes new facilities, South Africa luring Chinese investors and an advance in modular cleanrooms.

CBI plants presence in Japan

19-Jun-2008 - Commonwealth Biotechnologies (CBI) has planted its first roots in Japan, as the world's number two pharmaceutical market continues to attract foreign firms.

Pfizer to hijack Ranbaxy deal?

18-Jun-2008 - Pfizer may be poised to make a counter bid for Ranbaxy, potentially scuppering the takeover by Daiichi which appeared to be a done deal.

Pharma raw materials round-up

18-Jun-2008 - In-PharmaTechnologist.com presents a digest of recent developments in the world of pharmaceutical ingredients, with news involving Evonik, BASF, Qiqihar No. 2 Pharmaceutical Co and Shengtai Pharmaceutical.

Bayer sets up tobacco plant drug production facility

18-Jun-2008 - Germany's Bayer hopes that its pilot-scale production facility in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt will help establish its tobacco plant-based expression system as leader of the lucrative protein manufacturing sector.

Cautious biotech investors stifle R&D

18-Jun-2008 - Serious concerns over the future of drug development have been raised by the annual biotechnology report from Marks & Clerk.

PER.C6 platform achieves highest ever yield

18-Jun-2008 - The PER.C6 cell culture-based antibody production platform has achieved a new record yield of 27 grams of IgG antibody per litre, bettering the 15 gram per litre mark that was...

Invitrogen to buy Applied Biosystems for $6.7bn

17-Jun-2008 - Invitrogen plans to cement its place as one of the world's largest suppliers of analysis tools and reagents for the life science and pharmaceutical industries by acquiring Applied Biosystems (ABI).

Baxter uses cell culture for H5N1 vaccine

17-Jun-2008 - Baxter has successfully produced H5N1 influenza vaccine in African green monkey kidney cells in quantities sufficient for clinical testing, according to an article published in The New England Journal of...

Avecia bundles formulation studies with biologics services

17-Jun-2008 - UK biotechnology group Avecia Biologics has set up a new formulation studies team to support the activities of its contract manufacturing and process development operations.

FDA to outsource manufacturing inspections

17-Jun-2008 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pushing for Congress to approve the use of more third-party inspectors as the regulatory body attempts to police a complex global supply...

Patheon explains importance of new Japanese subsidiary

17-Jun-2008 - Patheon has set up a subsidiary in Japan to tap into the emerging market for contract manufacturing and development services in the country.

Weekly comment

US Senator seeks probe into pharma outsourcing

16-Jun-2008 - A US senator has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a probe into outsourcing of production for pharmaceuticals, as well as ways to make drugmakers accountable for products...

Bentley hives-off CPEX delivery division

16-Jun-2008 - USA-based Bentley Pharmaceuticals is moving forward with plans to spin-off its drug delivery division as a publicly-traded entity under the name CPEX Pharmaceuticals.

Packaging innovations from Drupa 2008

16-Jun-2008 - Drupa 2008, the largest printing equipment exhibition in the world, had new products for the pharmaceutical industry on show from FAG, Xerox, Amcor Flexibles and AVT.

EU's API anti-counterfeiting measures insufficient

16-Jun-2008 - DSM and the European Chemical Industry Council (CEFIC) have criticised the European Commission's proposals for tackling counterfeit active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

Uhlmann sets sights on blister packaging market

16-Jun-2008 - Germany's Uhlmann says that a process offered by its new range of blister packaging machines that removes the need for an additional product chain in the cartoner will help drugmakers...

Oxford Gene Tech visits court again over patent violations

13-Jun-2008 - In the latest biotechnology courtroom battle, Oxford Gene Technology (OGT) reported that it has filed suit against BioArray Solutions for deliberately infringing three of its patents that relates to technology...

Beckman Coulter, Orchid sue Sequenom over SNP patent

13-Jun-2008 - Beckman Coulter and Orchid Cellmark have filed a lawsuit against Sequenom in another patent infringement case that alleges Sequenom is guilty of violating patents belonging to Orchid and licensed to...

GE Healthcare investment to redefine pathology imaging

13-Jun-2008 - GE Healthcare has announced its intention to invest $20m in radical new technology, which will allow laboratory research results to be transmitted and shared amongst doctors worldwide setting to define...

Pharmaceutical manufacturing: people on the move

12-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com presents its periodic round-up of personnel changes in pharmaceutical manufacturing and development.

Chinese raw material costs stifle production

12-Jun-2008 - Indian active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers have had to begin scaling down production in response to a spike in raw materials costs.

Introgen sets sights on CMO sector

12-Jun-2008 - Introgen Therapeutics says advances in its biologics manufacturing and storage technologies have allowed it to broaden the scope of its contract manufacturing operations and set up a new unit called...

PSI reports 24% jump in counterfeits

12-Jun-2008 - Seizures of counterfeit medicines shot-up by 24 per cent in 2007, according to the latest figures from the Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI).

Ineos' Eltex MED LDPE range lauched

12-Jun-2008 - Ineos Polyolefins hopes that its new Eltex MED low-density polythene (LDPE) packaging line will provide pharmaceutical manufacturing firms with a means of meeting the demands of long term storage.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing news in brief

11-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com's periodic round-up of developments in the pharmaceutical manufacturing space this week features three new technologies that are designed to help drugmakers improve the manufacture of powder-based products.

Daiichi to acquire majority stake in Ranbaxy

11-Jun-2008 - Japanese pharmaceutical firm Daiichi Sankyo is set to acquire a majority stake in Ranbaxy Laboratories, in the biggest takeover deal of an Indian pharmaceutical firm by an international company.

API inspection firm wins highest independence rating

11-Jun-2008 - Auditing firm blue inspection body (BIB) has achieved a type 'A' independence rating under German accreditation organisation DAP's scheme to certify the third-party inspection of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers.

Researchers target ocular drug delivery market

11-Jun-2008 - Researchers have developed a drug delivery device which attaches to the eye and could negate the need for repeat injections.

Social networking for scientists

11-Jun-2008 - A company based in the US and Germany has set up what it describes as a 'Facebook for scientists', in a move that brings the phenomenon of social networking firmly...

Crystal monitoring could save manufacturers millions

10-Jun-2008 - The pharmaceutical industry could save millions by adopting new crystal monitoring technology, according to research published in Crystal Growth and Design.

Branded HFA albuterols to completely dominate market

10-Jun-2008 - The impending ban on albuterol inhalers that use chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) propellants will see branded hydrofluoroalkane (HFA)-based products completely dominate the US market as, to date, no generic HFA albuterol has...

Arch buys 70 per cent Benzochem stake

10-Jun-2008 - Contract pharmaceutical services supplier Arch Pharmalabs has purchased a 70 per cent stake in fellow India-based active pharmaceutical supplier (API) Benzochem Lifesciences for around Rs 1bn ($23m), strengthening its position...

Central Glass enters EU API market via Girindus buy

10-Jun-2008 - Japanese glass and chemical company Central Glass has found a swift route into the contract manufacturing market for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Europe via the purchase of Girindus' facility...

Striped nanoparticles improve drug delivery

10-Jun-2008 - Gold nanoparticles coated with alternating stripes of two different molecules can penetrate a cell membrane without killing the cell, according to research in Nature Materials.

Weekly comment

Big pharma responds to EU anti-counterfeiting

09-Jun-2008 - Big pharma's responses to the European Commission's proposals for tackling counterfeiting have thrown up a diverse range of viewpoints.

Sun wont "stand by idly" if Taro tries to sell Irish plant

09-Jun-2008 - India's Sun Pharmaceutical Industries says that Taro Pharmaceuticals' plans to sell off its R&D and manufacturing facility in Ireland, is part of a "concerted effort to discourage Sun from pursuing...

EMEA ideas for preventing heparin-like contaminations

09-Jun-2008 - The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has urged for greater international cooperation as it outlined how to prevent a repeat of the heparin crisis.

First safe syringe in Indian market

09-Jun-2008 - Indian biotech company Biocon has started using pre-filled syringes for the administration of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (GCSF) and erythropoietin.

CROs must play greater development role

09-Jun-2008 - In the future, drug firms will expect Asian contract research organizations (CRO) to offer improved discovery, development and management capabilities, according to Commonwealth Biotechnologies (CBI) CEO Paul D'Sylva.

Thermo push boundaries with new benchtop LC-MS system

06-Jun-2008 - Life Science equipment specialists Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched its latest liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system, which builds on existing mass analyser technology to produce a instrument for scientists in...

Agilent ups ante with new GC/MS and LC/MS technology

06-Jun-2008 - The American Society for Mass Spectrometry meeting (ASMS) was the scene of a lot of activity from Agilent this week as the lab instrument specialist unleashed new mass spectrometer products...

EU relying on member cooperation for central biobank

06-Jun-2008 - A new European initiative that brings together biological material, such as DNA, tissue, cells or other human samples within a central 'biobank' infrastructure is set to be given the go-ahead...

High throughput microscopy reveals breast cancer pathway

06-Jun-2008 - Personalised medicine took a giant leap forward this week as the regulation of an oestrogen receptor was reported in a unique study that has implications in the diagnosis and subsequent...

EU publishes responses to anti-counterfeit proposals

05-Jun-2008 - The European Commission has published the responses to its proposals for tackling the problem posed by counterfeit medicines.

US market for drug packaging worth $16bn by 2012

05-Jun-2008 - Advanced functionalities, including those that aid patient compliance, will come to dominate the drug packaging market over the next few years, according to a study by the Freedonia Group

First ever patient administered a siRNA cancer treatment

05-Jun-2008 - A patient has completed the first successful dosing cycle with small interfering RNA (siRNA) for the treatment of cancer in a clinical trial.

Helix ups thermoplastics manufacturing offering

05-Jun-2008 - Contract manufacturing group Helix Medical hopes that expansion of its global production capacity will help it corner the pharmaceutical industry's injection moulding thermoplastics market.

Pharma must be ready for REACH; will US follow EU lead?

05-Jun-2008 - The new European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) opened its doors in Helsinki this week, with questions raised immediately about its ability to handle the thousands of registration requests required under the...

Agilent takes BIA technology from process suite to lab

04-Jun-2008 - Agilent Technologies has licensed BIA Separations' bio-monolithic technology and intends to use it in the commercialisation of analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) bio-monolith columns.

Excipients supply chain still needs tightening

04-Jun-2008 - Although there has been considerable industry effort to monitor and control the distribution of pharmaceutical raw materials, the voluntary nature of this regulation means that the supply network is still...

PDL restructures to recover

04-Jun-2008 - PDL Biopharma has restructured its board of directors and reaffirmed its strategic focus as it attempts to recover from a challenging period.

Pfizer project seeks to improve solvent recovery

04-Jun-2008 - US drug giant Pfizer hopes that its collaboration with student engineers at New Jersey's Rowan University will help lessen the environmental impact of its best selling arthritis drug Celebrex (celeboxib).

Pharmaceutical manufacturing: people on the move

04-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com presents its periodic round-up of personnel changes in pharmaceutical manufacturing and development.

Manufacturing technology news in brief

03-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com's periodic round-up of developments in pharmaceutical manufacturing equipment includes a new anti-counterfeiting tool and a system that ensures proper heat sealing temperatures for blister packaging.

Blast off for vaccine research in space

03-Jun-2008 - Biotech research has taken a giant leap following the launch of a NASA shuttle containing an experiment for development of a Salmonella vaccine.

Dow execs admit planning $50bn LBO

03-Jun-2008 - US-based Dow Chemical has reached a settlement in a long running court battle with two former executives who were involved in unauthorized talks to sell the firm early last year.

PharmEng aims to make a profit in 08

03-Jun-2008 - Canadian contract manufacturer and consultancy firm PharmEng International has published its 2007 accounts, and says it remains firmly focused on getting into the black in 2008.

Chesapeake's text system to cut tracking costs

03-Jun-2008 - US packaging specialist Chesapeake's new Pro-tex anti-counterfeiting technology is designed to provide drugmakers, distributors and consumers with a simple, cost-effective means of instantly verifying the authenticity of individual pharmaceutical products.

ISPE says quality programme starts to bear fruit

02-Jun-2008 - The International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers has reported the first findings of a five-year new programme aimed at working tackling one of the toughest problems in pharma manufacturing at present...

Polytherics Complex technology to make drug solubility simple

02-Jun-2008 - UK-based biopharmaceutical company Polytherics hopes that its polymer technology can offer drugmakers a new method of solubilising solid dosage medications.

BAC to develop Factor VIIa purification ligand for LFB

02-Jun-2008 - The Bio Affinity Company (BAC) has been contracted to create a purification method for the production of a recombinant protein, the clotting agent factor VIIa, made in the milk of...

Shedding light on molecularly imprinted polymers

02-Jun-2008 - A comprehensive review of stimuli-responsive molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) in Current Drug Delivery has highlighted their potential within the pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmaceutical manufacturing news in brief

02-Jun-2008 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com's periodic round-up of developments in the pharmaceutical manufacturing space includes the expansion plans of two Malaysian companies and lay-offs in Ireland.