Sanofi to set up new facility in Saudi Arabia

30-Jun-2010 - Sanofi-Aventis will build a new manufacturing plant in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Saudi Arabia through an agreement with the Emaar development company (ECC).

People on the move: pharma manufacturing jobs

30-Jun-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma space, including appointments at DSM, Codexis, USP and MonoSol Rx.

News in brief

Colorcon adds formulation labs in Brazil

30-Jun-2010 - Colorcon has added processing and formulation development capacity at its technical service laboratory in Cotia near Sao Paulo, Brazil.

NeoStem’s cGMP approval finds favour with investors

30-Jun-2010 - Suzhou Erye, a subsidiary of NeoStem Pharmaceutical, has passed inspection by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) meaning the company's new manufacturing facility will go ahead with the manufacture...

Alembic to demerge pharma business

30-Jun-2010 - India’s oldest pharmaceutical company Alembic went one step closer to the biggest restructuring in its history as its board approved the demerging of its main pharmaceutical business into a separate...

West and Daikyo Seiko launch Ready Pack

29-Jun-2010 - West Pharmaceutical Services and Japan’s Daikyo Seiko team on container technology they claim will help drugmakers ensure consistency during scale-up operations

NextPharma project makes PAT humidity monitoring breakthrough

29-Jun-2010 - Results from PAT humidity monitoring research will improve API granulation process, product yields and reduce variability during drug manufacture, says NextPharma.

News in brief

Borregaard to shut Italian catechol plant

29-Jun-2010 - Norwegian bio-chemicals producer Borregaard is closing down its production facility in Italy due to “challenging market conditions.”

Sosei buys Activus Pharma and drug delivery technology

29-Jun-2010 - Sosei has revealed its intention to acquire Activus Pharma in a deal which allows the Japan-based firm to get their hands on Activus' nanoparticle drug formulation tools, a technology that’s...

Piramal’s gains thermogel tech with $3.8m BioSyntech buy

29-Jun-2010 - Piramal Healthcare has signalled its intent to enter the biotechnology sector with its acquisition of BioSyntech in a deal worth $3.8m and includes full access to BioSyntech’s proprietary biotherapeutic thermogel...

Gilead buys a $120m ticket for protein kinase research role

28-Jun-2010 - A deal to broaden Gilead’s research expertise into protein kinase biology has been finalised with the $120m acquisition of CGI Pharmaceuticals, in a deal that compliments its comprehensive selection of...

TRL refocuses new US site on biologic drugs

28-Jun-2010 - Tanabe Research Labs (TRL) has revealed details of its new San Diego facility in which the revised layout of the site allows a fresh focus on antibody and biological approaches...

Gerresheimer chief wants more global expansion

28-Jun-2010 - New Gerresheimer CEO Uwe Roehrhoff wants the German firm to become the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry “first choice” partner for high-tech packaging.

Regulus’ microRNA wins potential $750m Sanofi deal

28-Jun-2010 - Regulus Therapeutics’ microRNA satellite technology has won the firm its biggest deal to date with French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis agreeing a development accord worth up to $750m (€606m).

News in brief

Baxter sets up Belgian R&D hub

28-Jun-2010 - Baxter Healthcare is expanding its European R&D presence with a new facility designed to take new pharmaceuticals from “conception to registration.”

News in brief

Pfizer deal for virtual metabolic patients

24-Jun-2010 - Pfizer will use “virtual” patients to test the efficacy of candidate drugs though a new deal with Entelos.

Supercritical drug delivery patent awarded to Aphios

24-Jun-2010 - Aphios has been awarded a patent that details an improved process to formulate a polymer-based drug delivery nanotechnology platform. The method offers a more sustainable, consistent administration of therapeutics with...

Scientists detail method to greener drug production.

24-Jun-2010 - A new technique developed by researchers has yielded results, which suggests that drug production and manufacturing can essentially be achieved without toxic by-products.

ViroPharma files with FDA to up HAE drug production

24-Jun-2010 - ViroPharma is seeking permission from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to increase production of Cinryze to an industrial scale as part of its ongoing expansion activities.

Merck & Co hopes for big win in South Africa

24-Jun-2010 - US drugmaker Merck & Co’s new deal with Adcock Ingram proves the FIFA football World Cup isn’t the only thing attracting people to South Africa this summer.

Schott takes ready-to-fill syringe production back to the US

23-Jun-2010 - Schott Pharmaceutical Packaging has revealed details of its US-based ready-to-fill syringe production line capabilities in a manufacturing sector that has traditionally been the strong hold of countries like Germany and...

Sanofi works to secure Egyptian drug supply chain

23-Jun-2010 - French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis continues to spearhead the fight for a more secure pharmaceutical supply chain by launching an anti-counterfeit medication initiative in Egypt.

People on the move: pharma jobs

23-Jun-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including changes at Relypsa, Genzyme, Benitec, Genmab, Celsion, Alligator Bioscience.

News in brief

Biovail and Valeant to merge

23-Jun-2010 - Canada’s Biovail plans to buy Valeant Pharmaceuticals to strengthen US position in specialty CNS, dermatology and generics markets.

Trading alliance heads south as Chesapeake enters Spanish market

22-Jun-2010 - Pharmaceutical and healthcare carton specialists, Chesapeake has formed an alliance with carton supplier Cartonajes Leca in a move that aims to extend its production network to southern Europe.

Rockwell Automation white paper urges solvent recovery as best ROI

22-Jun-2010 - Pharmaceutical manufacturers should consider solvent recovery as the US government looks to establish mandates for greenhouse gas emissions, according to Rockwell Automation.

Researchers recycle TV material into drug delivery aid

22-Jun-2010 - Researchers believe they have found a way of transforming a key element of liquid crystal display (LCD) televisions into a substance that can be used in pills and dressings designed...

SPX unveils new acquisition, highlights processing as key to growth

21-Jun-2010 - SPX Corporation has announced its Flow Technology division is to acquire Anhydro A/S as it highlighted processing expansion in the food and pharmaceutical sectors as a key part of its...

News in brief

Ricerca gains DEA licence

21-Jun-2010 - Ricerca Biosciences has been licensed by the DEA to handle multiple kilos of controlled Schedule II-V substances at its site in Concord, Ohio, US.

Vetter invests in pharma storage facility

21-Jun-2010 - Vetter Pharma have begun construction of its latest storage facility in a move that forms part of Vetter’s recent efforts to expand its pharmaceutical logistical resources. Vetter's newest facility, located...

Pfizer continues on rare disease path with new R&D unit

21-Jun-2010 - Pfizer continues its foray into rare diseases as it creates a new R&D unit to investigate novel therapeutics for conditions such as Haemophilia. The pharma giant joins GlaxoSmithKline and Novartis...

Minapharm buys CMO ProBioGen for €30.4m

17-Jun-2010 - Egypt-based Minapharm has acquired 95 per cent of CMO ProBioGen for a possible total of €30.4m ($37.6m).

CSL Behring forms supply agreement with ProFibrix

17-Jun-2010 - CSL Behring is to supply clinical and commercial quantities of plasma-based fibrinogen and thrombin to ProFibrix.

Malaysia “an ideal location” for generics production; F&S

17-Jun-2010 - Malaysia is “an ideal location to manufacture generics”, according to F&S, and this could drive growth and investment in the country.

News in brief

Nilfisk launches next generation of industrial vacuums

17-Jun-2010 - Nilfisk CFM has introduced the next generation of its single-phase industrial vacuum cleaners, S2 and S3.

Amcor hails strategic significance of Ball Plastics takeover

16-Jun-2010 - Amcor said its takeover of Ball Plastics Packaging Americas for US$280m is an important strategic move that will allow it to diversify packaging formats, as well as expand its manufacturing...

News in brief

ATMI and SSB extend global supply and marketing deal

16-Jun-2010 - ATMI and Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB) have extended their global supply and marketing agreement to include the Magnetic Mixer technology.

Global expansion desirable but problematic; UPS survey

16-Jun-2010 - Nearly half of healthcare supply chain executives are planning to expand into emerging markets in the next 18 months, according to a UPS survey, but are concerned about the process.

AMRI buys Hyaluron to enter prefilled syringe market

16-Jun-2010 - AMRI has acquired Hyaluron for $27m (€22m) to enter the prefilled syringe market and expand the customer base for its existing operations.

Pall and New Brunswick partner on disposable bioreactors

15-Jun-2010 - Pall and New Brunswick have teamed up to develop and supply new disposable bioreactor technologies, targeting growing demand for products that improve quality and reduce cost of biomanufacturing.

News in brief

DGCI bans 10 Chinese firms from importing to India; reports

15-Jun-2010 - The DCGI has banned import of raw materials from 10 Chinese companies which lacked mandatory manufacturing standards, according to The Economic Times of India .

BioScale wins funding to develop protein analytics tech

15-Jun-2010 - BioScale has secured $25m (€21m) to fund commercialisation of its ViBE protein analytics systems.

Evonik strengthens metal catalyst ops in India and China

15-Jun-2010 - Evonik has strengthened its precious metal powder catalysts business, opening a production site in Shanghai, China and buying an Indian company.

API maker Parabolic to join CRAMS sector

14-Jun-2010 - Parabolic Drugs will enter India’s CRAMS sector with new dedicated manufacturing facilities designed to attract “global innovator companies” enabling its business to grow in regulated markets.

OptiNose gets $48.5m to take delivery device into Phase III

14-Jun-2010 - OptiNose is to take its nasal drug delivery device into Phase III using $48.5m (€40m) a private equity firm has agreed to invest in the business.

News in brief

Novavax & Cadila open Indian vaccine facility

14-Jun-2010 - Cadila Pharmaceuticals and Novavax have completed construction of their joint venture vaccine manufacturing plant in Dholka, India.

People on the move: pharma jobs

14-Jun-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the sector, including appointments at Pfizer, Biocodex, Unigene, Pieris and Progenics.

USGS suspects pharma facilities polluting waters

10-Jun-2010 - Water used by pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities is being released into the environment with drug concentrations that are up to 1000 times higher than normal according to a study conducted by...

Xcellerex adding FlexFactory to Massachusetts HQ

10-Jun-2010 - Xcellerex is building a second cGMP FlexFactory biomanufacturing facility to support clients transitioning to their own plants and provide contract manufacturing services.

MonoSol and APR deal puts more drugs on film

10-Jun-2010 - MonoSol Rx and Applied Pharma Research have agreed to expand their working partnership to produce and market current prescription drug products in film form. This method of drug delivery has...

News in brief

Counterfeit products seized by MHRA in UK raids

10-Jun-2010 - Counterfeit and unlicensed treatments for depression and erectile dysfunction have been seized in London and Yorkshire, UK during raids by the MHRA.

GSK: reports of Ireland review are “completely inaccurate”

09-Jun-2010 - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has described media reports of an overall review of operations in Ireland as “completely inaccurate”, telling in-PharmaTechnologist that the exercise only covers the plant in Cork.

BD aims for convenience with smallest ever needle

09-Jun-2010 - Becton Dickinson (BD) is launching what could be the world’s smallest pen needle designed for insulin delivery. Patients in the United States will be the first recipients as BD aim...

Cellectis and Lonza form biomanufacturing partnership

09-Jun-2010 - Lonza is to collaborate with France’s Cellectis SA for the development and commercialisation of a bioengineered cell line.

News in brief

DSM providing process dev, cGMP production to Novacta

09-Jun-2010 - DSM is providing process development and current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) production of a Clostridium difficile molecule for Novacta Biosystems.

Proposed USP limits on vial labelling “ambiguous and vague”, says CAPS

08-Jun-2010 - The Consortium for the Advancement of Patient Safety (CAPS) says research shows that USP plans to restrict printing on pharmaceutical vial ferrules and caps are “ambiguous and vague.”

Bosch unveils flexible and integrated packaging system on market demand

08-Jun-2010 - Increasing customer demand for integrated and flexible systems were the drivers behind developing new vertical flat pouch equipment for packing a range of free-flowing goods including granulates and powders, said...

LGR Emballages invests in pharma packaging technology

08-Jun-2010 - LGR Emballages, has announced a substantial investment in three Speedmaster XL 105 presses that the French packaging group hope will improve its current short-run productivity for pharmaceutical packaging.

KV sells unit in $24.6m deal

08-Jun-2010 - KV Pharmaceuticals has decided to cut its losses and sell its subsidiary Particle Dynamics in a deal worth $24.6m (€20.6m). The deal adds some much needed stability as the business...

News in brief

Ceco launches “cost-effective” air pollution control tech

08-Jun-2010 - Ceco Environmental has launched a product capable of destroying volatile organic compounds (VOC) and removing nitrous oxides (NOx) from airstreams.

People on the move: pharma jobs

08-Jun-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including Genzyme adding more manufacturing experience and resignations at Uluru and Par.

Nampak invests in new pharma packaging facility

07-Jun-2010 - Nampak Europe is to invest €4.5m ($5.4m) in a new purpose-built factory to replace its Wolfen facility in a move to reduce product costs in the northern European arm of...

Caraco work plan gains FDA approval; begins rehiring

07-Jun-2010 - Caraco’s work plan setting out remedial actions needed to restart production at its Detroit-based plant has been approved by the FDA.

Philips and RXI partner to research RNAi delivery

07-Jun-2010 - Philips and RXi Pharmaceuticals have formed a research agreement to investigate combining their technologies for delivery of RNA interference (RNAi).

News in brief

Grifols to buy Talecris for $3.4bn

07-Jun-2010 - Spain-based Grifols has agreed to acquire Talecris for $3.4bn (€2.8bn) in cash and stock to increase its presence in North America.

NAFDAC keen on new SMS anti-counterfeit results

03-Jun-2010 - An anti-counterfeiting pilot project in Nigeria, which uses a mobile authentication service (MAS) to validate genuine medication, has completed a 100-day pilot phase. Preliminary results suggest the scheme is well...

Cambrex receives FDA approval for Iowa site

03-Jun-2010 - American chemicals maker Cambrex has announced its active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility has completed a successful FDA inspection.

News in brief

Malaysia seeks to attract Indian pharma manufacturers

03-Jun-2010 - Malaysia is keen to attract Indian biopharm companies and is offering incentives and infrastructure to encourage firms to establish manufacturing operations, according to local media reports.

USP forges stronger links with Ukraine and Russia

03-Jun-2010 - The USP is strengthening links with Eastern Europe and Russia by agreeing to share quality standards with Ukraine and offering training courses in Moscow.

ISP “rounds out” Brazilian offering with spheronisation tech

02-Jun-2010 - ISP Pharmaceuticals has expanded its extrusion spheronisation offering with the installation of new dedicated technology at its laboratory in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Shasun Chemical reports net profit for year

02-Jun-2010 - Indian API manufacturer Shasun Chemicals and Drugs turned a previous loss into profit for Q4 of this year as it seeks to make a dent in the biosimilar manufacturing sector.

Surya raising funds to invest in production capacity

02-Jun-2010 - India-based Surya Pharmaceuticals is planning to raise Rs 500 crore ($100m) to fund construction of an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production plant, according to local media reports.

News in brief

Sinovac chosen for China’s immunisation programme

02-Jun-2010 - China-based Sinovac Biotech has been selected to supply a hepatitis A vaccine, Healive, to the Beijing Expanded Program of Immunization.

Claris’ manufacturing practices under FDA scrutiny

02-Jun-2010 - Indian-based drug makers continue to come under intense scrutiny by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the regulatory body issues warnings to healthcare professionals not to use certain...

Natural drug delivery system aids cancer therapeutics

01-Jun-2010 - New research could make it possible for scientists to use silicon particles as an effective drug delivery system that enables fragile small interfering RNA (siRNA) based drugs to be directly...

Ampac applies HS technology to new laminate product

01-Jun-2010 - Ampac Flexibles continues to utilise its High-Speed (HS) Laminate technology by launching its laminate films – a product, which the makers claim will heat seal at temperatures 40 degrees lower...

People on the move: pharma jobs

01-Jun-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including Pfizer and AstraZeneca naming R&D leaders and appointments at APV and Lonza.

News in brief

Claris recalls contaminated antibiotics

01-Jun-2010 - Claris has initiated a recall of three antibiotics it manufactures, which are also sold by Sagent, Pfizer and West-Ward, after the FDA warned of contamination.