E-therapeutics restart drug discovery unit

28-Jul-2011 - Network pharmacology specialist E-Therapeutics has restarted its drug discovery unit in response to improving economic climate and investor demand.

News in brief

Dr Reddy’s partnership to bolster Fujifilm API biz

28-Jul-2011 - Fujifilm is to strengthen its API and formulations business by forming a Japan-focused joint venture with Dr Reddy’s.

BASF posts Q2 gains, but share price falls on lacklustre guidance

28-Jul-2011 - BASF posts Q2 results and says economic uncertainties mean industrial customers are still cautious about placing orders.

Market share gains drive MWV medical pump growth

28-Jul-2011 - MeadWestvaco (MWV) has reported increased market share is driving double-digit growth in sales of medical pumps.

Angel calls in local engineering firm to re-commission plant

27-Jul-2011 - CMO Angel Biotechnologies has called in UK-based engineering group WH Partnership to help re-commissioning its GMP standard biomanufacturing facility in Cramlington near Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

New transdermal SC delivery system could raise Viagra's effectiveness

27-Jul-2011 - Researchers at Alexandria University believe they can solve problems in the delivery of erectile dysfunction medication with the help of nanotechnology.

Russia has the potential to dominate API production, say PMR

27-Jul-2011 - Market analysts PMR have launched a new paper highlighting the potential for API production in Russia, Ukraine and the Baltics.

UPDATE

People on the move: pharma jobs

26-Jul-2011 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com presents its latest round up of executive moves in the pharma sector, including appointments at Sanofi, Amylin, Lophius Biosciences, Lophius, Adventrx, BioSante and Medicure.

Blue Chip gives social networking in patient recruitment the thumbs up

26-Jul-2011 - Blue Chip Patient Recruitment says the future of patient sourcing for clinical trials lies in social media.

Valeritas gets EEA CE mark for insulin delivery patch tech

26-Jul-2011 - Valertias has received the European CE Mark for V-GO its disposable insulin delivery device, further expanding its approval portfolio.

News in brief

TGA should be more open about approvals and monitoring, says panel

26-Jul-2011 - The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) should be more transparent about its market authorisation decisions, monitoring and compliance practices according to a panel set up to examine the regulators inner...

UPDATE

New Carticept injection delivery system increases safety and efficiency

25-Jul-2011 - Carticept Medical has been given the Food and Drug Administration go-ahead to market its Navigator Delivery System (Navigator DS) in the US.

News in brief

Anomatic to open packaging plant at New Albany Business Park

25-Jul-2011 - Packaging manufacturer Anomatic is expanding with a new facility in New Albany, Ohio.

Sartorius Stedim Biotech sees single-use gains in H1; North American revs dip

25-Jul-2011 - Sartorius Stedim Biotech (SSB) has revised its full year guidance after its range of single-use products drove revenue gains in the first half of 2011.

CDSCO issues new Form 40 draft guidance for API importers

25-Jul-2011 - India’s CDSCO has issued draft guidance designed to help active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) importers streamline the submission and registration process.

Distribution deals to TAP into SE Asia bioprocessing sector

21-Jul-2011 - TAP Biosystems has inked deals with six distributors in South East Asia to extend sales support for its automated bioprocessing systems.

J&J suppliers need sustainability goals under new initiative

21-Jul-2011 - All strategic suppliers to J&J will need at least two publically-reported sustainability goals under a new initiative by the healthcare giant.

Lanxess doubling menthol raw material output to meet demand

21-Jul-2011 - Lanxess is doubling capacity at a German plant to meet rising demand for menthol, a product used as a pharma excipient and in personal care.

Pall solidifies long-term Engefiltro relationship in take-over

20-Jul-2011 - Filtration, separation and purification technology company Pall is to acquire its long-time Brazilian distribution partner, Engefiltro.

News in brief

Shilpa to expand into niche formulations with Nu buy

20-Jul-2011 - Shilpa has bought a controlling stake in Nu Therapeutics, an India-based pharmaceutical formulation business.

Plant-produced monoclonal antibody enters Phase I

20-Jul-2011 - Clinical trials of a monoclonal antibody produced in transgenic tobacco plants, a potentially low-cost, scalable system, have begun in Europe.

Sherpa opens new packaging plant in CA

20-Jul-2011 - Sherpa has cut the ribbon on a new cGMP biotech clinical trial material packaging facility in San Diego.

Granules and Ajinomoto OmniChem to open Indian API facility

19-Jul-2011 - Granules and Ajinomoto OmniChem have teamed up to produce high value APIs and intermediates at a new Indian plant.

Life Technologies improves siRNA technology 100-fold

19-Jul-2011 - Life Technologies has developed new drug delivery technology for therapeutic applications that is 100 times more potent than previous formulations.

News in brief

Hong Kong talks legal action after ordering GSK recall

19-Jul-2011 - Hong Kong is considering legal action against GSK after antibiotic samples were found to contain plasticisers.

Alkermes - EDT merger to spark consolidation & strategic shift

19-Jul-2011 - EDT will accelerate its shift to proprietary products and consolidate to save $20m when its takeover by Alkermes closes.

Tamper evident devices must be traceable & unique; Rx-360

18-Jul-2011 - Physical endurance, traceability and uniqueness are key characteristics for tamper evident devices used in raw material supply, according to Rx-360.

New asthma treatment threatens inhaler companies

18-Jul-2011 - A new oral medication for asthma sufferers could wipe out half of all business for inhaler manufacturers.

FDA offers grant to improve biopharm production steps

13-Jul-2011 - The FDA is offering a grant to research projects that improve the reliability, speed and quality of biopharm production processes.

Plastic fantastic for Gerresheimer in Q2, tubular glass revs dip

13-Jul-2011 - Gerresheimer saw strong demand for plastic systems and moulded glassware in the second quarter fiscal 2011, while tubular glass revenue dipped slightly.

FDA must be empowered to oversee supply chain; report

13-Jul-2011 - Congress must grant the FDA additional powers to bring oversight of manufacturing inline with shifts in production practices, according to a report.

US team develops hydrogel capsule for multi-drug delivery

12-Jul-2011 - Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have pioneered a multi-compartment gel capsule that could be used to simultaneously deliver drugs of different types.

People on the move: pharma jobs

12-Jul-2011 - in-PharmaTechnologist.com presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including appointments at Merck Serono, Ascletis, Allon, Acura, Sangamo and ProStrakan.

News in brief

Generic drugs win a thumbs up from animal lovers

11-Jul-2011 - Generic drug production is on the up in animal heath care.

CHO technology speeds up productivity

11-Jul-2011 - Developments in the field of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) based biomanufacturing this week with new products from SAFC and BD Biosciences.

EU should revoke licenses if emission caps exceeded; report

11-Jul-2011 - Production plants exceeding emission levels could have manufacturing authorisations revoked under EU GMP proposals made by Sweden.

Law enforcement must take apart fake drug networks; Lilly

11-Jul-2011 - Eli Lilly has called for law enforcement to find and dismantle the supply sources and distribution networks underpinning fake online pharmacies.

Cadila sent warning letter after FDA finds microbiology probs

07-Jul-2011 - The FDA has sent a warning letter to Cadila Healthcare’s Ahmedabad, India finished products plant after an inspection found GMP deviations.

Another J&J Tylenol recall

07-Jul-2011 - Tylenol Extra Strength Caplets yesterday became the latest in a long succession of Johnson & Johnson products to be pulled from the shelves after complaints of the pills’ “musty odor”.

News in brief

FDA bans import of products from Dr Reddy’s Mexico site

07-Jul-2011 - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has followed up a warning letter by banning imports from Dr Reddy’s Mexican API plant.

News in brief

10 pharma companies named in heparin case

06-Jul-2011 - US Government Officials have implored ten major pharmaceutical companies to give up information in the race to solve the 2007-2008 contaminated Chinese herparin incident.

Gerresheimer wants to buy into US plastic packaging sector

06-Jul-2011 - Gerresheimer is interested in a US acquisition as part of a bid to build in the North American plastic drug packaging sector.

UBC's vision for new diabetic retinopathy delivery device

06-Jul-2011 - Scientists at the University of British Columbia have pioneered a magnetic retinal implant that can supply a regulated and on-demand release of drugs to treat blindness from diabetic retinopathy.

WTO rules against China in raw material export quota case

06-Jul-2011 - A WTO panel has ruled China’s export limits on raw materials, including some with pharma uses, are unfair after claims they drive up prices.

News in brief

Strides receives OK from EMA

05-Jul-2011 - Onco Therapies Limited (OTL), a division of Aglia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Strides Arcolab Limited, has been given the go ahead from Europe for its Oral Dosage Oncology facility.

Europe approves Merck Serono prefilled pen injectors

05-Jul-2011 - Merck Serono has received European approval for prefilled pen injectors designed to increase compliance during fertility treatment.

EMA OK for second Shire Replagal plant

05-Jul-2011 - Shire has received European Medicines Agency (EMA) approval for a new US plant, doubling purification capacity for its Fabry disease drug Replagal.

Angel providing GMP stem cell production to ReNeuron

05-Jul-2011 - ReNeuron has inked a new deal with Angel Biotechnology to outsource stem cell GMP production services to the CMO.

News in brief

West inks discounted polymer supply deal with ExxonMobil

04-Jul-2011 - West has inked a global supply agreement that gives it discounted pricing on materials used in its polymer-based packaging.

Catalent and OSO expand ‘controlled substances’ businesses

04-Jul-2011 - Catalent and OSO BioPharmaceuticals Manufacturing have both announced expansions to their controlled substances businesses in the last week.

USP publishes free drug quality standards collection online

04-Jul-2011 - The USP has published a free, online collection of standards to support drug quality, particularly where regulatory resources are limited.

Chimerix drops BARDA protest after contract modification

04-Jul-2011 - Siga Technologies can resume work on scale-up of a smallpox antiviral after Chimerix dropped its protest following a contract modification.