News in brief

Lupin hold majority stake in Generic Health

30-Sep-2010 - Lupin has notified the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that is has acquired a majority stake in Australian pharmaceutical company, Generic Health.

Zydus Nycomed API site to start production in December

30-Sep-2010 - Zydus Nycomed expects commercial production at its newly commissioned API plant in Navi Mumbai, India to begin in December 2010.

RXi and EyeGate eye deal on non-invasive ocular RNAi delivery

30-Sep-2010 - RXi Pharmaceuticals and EyeGate Pharma will unite to develop non-invasive, needle-free ocular delivery of RNAi therapeutics using the EyeGate II system for the treatment of retinal disorders.

SP Scientific using Praxair tech to control lyophilisation

30-Sep-2010 - SP Scientific is combining its lyophilisation equipment with ControLyo from Praxair to enable precise control over the freeze-drying process.

News in brief

Chemically defined supplements boost Sheffield Bio-Science's product portfolio

29-Sep-2010 - Sheffield Bio-Science takes on responsibility for global sales, distribution and development of Girus Life Sciences’ chemically defined Regocel supplements.

Chinese cancer drug brings HUYA and Quintiles together

29-Sep-2010 - HUYA Bioscience International will co-develop a new Chinese cancer drug, HBI-8000, with Quintiles for the “benefit of cancer patients globally.”

FDA, NIH funding nano study to advance regulatory science

29-Sep-2010 - The US FDA and NIH are funding research into bioinformatics-modelling of nanoparticles as part of a collaborative initiative to advance regulatory science.

Venus to supply docetaxel to Thailand

29-Sep-2010 - Venus Remedies is supplying docetaxel to Thailand after a compulsory license was issued to make the drug more affordable.

News in brief

Pfizer add $5m to TetraLogic’s cancer treating drug fund

28-Sep-2010 - TetraLogic Pharmaceuticals receives $5m (€3.7m) investment from Pfizer Ventures, helping fund clinical development of a drug that mimics naturally forming proteins, promoting cell death.

RTS Life Science ‘Hatch’ new inhaler and tablet testing group

28-Sep-2010 - RTS Life Science has formed a Pharmaceutical Testing Group to integrate UK developed products for inhaler and tablet testing with US developed products for dissolution and content uniformity testing.

People on the move: pharma jobs

28-Sep-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including appointments at Discovery Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Agios Pharmaceuticals.

Catalent licenses Digimarc’s “digital watermark” packaging tech

28-Sep-2010 - Catalent licenses Digimarc’s embedded data packaging technology to take authentication and brand awareness into digital age.

Helvoet Pharma starts work on Indian packaging plant

27-Sep-2010 - Helvoet Pharma breaks begins construction of INR1.2bn ($26.5m) primary packaging plant which, it hopes, will help boost export volumes.

News in brief

Soaring growth anticipated in MS therapies market, says report

27-Sep-2010 - The combined global market for MS disease-modifying therapies is set to grow at annual rate of 8.1 per cent from 2010 to 2015, according to a new market research report by BCC Research.

Prosonix lauds new UMAX-based LABA/ICS combo; starts in-house development

27-Sep-2010 - Prosonix says UMAX particle tech-based LABA/ICS drug developed with partner Chiesi offers compliance, convenience and efficacy advantages.

Large pharma firms interested in Stirling delivery tech

27-Sep-2010 - Stirling Products is in discussions with three large pharma interesting in accessing its HDA drug delivery platform.

DSM seeks Asian partners; welcomes J&J Crucell takeover

23-Sep-2010 - DSM aims to keep pace with the rapid evolution of pharmaceutical sector through increased partnering and a focus on Asia.

GSK boosts vaccine and cancer units with tech licenses

23-Sep-2010 - GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has entered into two unrelated development deals by signing license agreements for Delphi Genetics’ StabyExpress for its vaccine production operations and OncoMethylome Sciences’ DNA methylation specific PCR biomarkers...

Sun set on helping Taro, after buying controlling stake

23-Sep-2010 - India’s Sun Pharma has finally acquired a controlling stake in Israeli generics firm Taro Pharmaceutical Industries, significantly expanding its manufacturing capacity in North America.

News in brief

NexACT works as an anti-microbial preservative, says Apricus Bio

23-Sep-2010 - Apricus Bio’s NexACT drug delivery technology has qualified as an anti-microbial preservative, according to results from a US Pharmacopeia Preservative Efficacy Test (USP PET).

Oracle adds pharma PLM for drug development & production

23-Sep-2010 - Oracle is revising its lifecycle management package to streamline processes including scale-up to commercial production and QbD implementation.

EPO reengineered to cross mice BBB for neuroprotection

23-Sep-2010 - Reengineering erythropoietin (EPO) as an immunoglobulin G (IgG) fusion protein enables penetration of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in mice, according to researchers.

Solvay integration will cost manufacturing jobs, says Abbott

22-Sep-2010 - Abbott Laboratories says it will shed manufacturing jobs as part integration of the pharmaceutical business it bought from Solvay earlier this year.

Intelsius introduces new packaging temp-controlled system

22-Sep-2010 - Intelsius, formerly DGP Group, has introduced Orcatherm to address the increasing pharma industry need for temperature-controlled packaging and regulatory compliant sample transport solutions.

IDT Biologika plans viral vacc expansion

22-Sep-2010 - IDT Biologika unveils plans to expand viral vaccine contract manufacturing operations and says global capacity failing to keep pace with resurgence in drug industry demand.

Elan goes beyond delivery tech with oral solid dose service

21-Sep-2010 - Elan Drug Technologies (EDT) says new bespoke oral solid dose (OSD) service will take its contract manufacturing business beyond drug delivery.

Sanofi, Takeda, Alliance Medical and Cerbios manufacturing news

21-Sep-2010 - in-pharmatechnologist presents a roundup of the latest drug sector manufacturing expansions with Sanofi Aventis, Takeda, Cerbios and Alliance Medical all adding capacity.

People on the move: pharma jobs

21-Sep-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including appointments at Norgine, CDRD and Prometheus Laboratories.

Pall adds GeneDisc for quicker microbial quality checks

21-Sep-2010 - Pall is launching the GeneDisc Rapid Microbiology System for quicker microbial quality monitoring and improved production efficiency.

SOCMA calls for greater urgency on US R&D tax credit

20-Sep-2010 - SOCMA CEO predicts reintroduction of rejected permanent R&D tax credit plan and urges Congress to act “sooner rather than later” to support US manufacturers.

News in brief

Life Technologies to out-license CHO cell lines recombinant proteins

20-Sep-2010 - Life Technologies has concluded license agreements, providing rights to its proprietary Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines for production of recombinant proteins used as therapeutic agents and vaccines.

Diabetes Research Unit to help China’s diabetes problem, says Novo Nordisk

20-Sep-2010 - Danish biopharma giant, Novo Nordisk is expanding its R&D Centre in China by introducing a new Diabetes Research unit and doubling its quota of employees from 100 to 200 by 2015.

US FTC OKs Rx-360 audits

20-Sep-2010 - The US FTC has given a positive advisory opinion to Rx-360’s shared audits and said the programme appears to offer “cognisable cost-saving and safety enhancing features”.

Breaking news

J&J to buy Crucell for $2.3bn

17-Sep-2010 - Johnson & Johnson is in advanced talks to buy biotechnology firm Crucell to boost vaccine development and manufacturing capacity.

Aspen op income up 20%

16-Sep-2010 - Aspen Pharmacare increased operating profit by 20 per cent to R2.6bn ($368m) in its full year results.

Rexam and Med Time team on compliance packaging solution

16-Sep-2010 - Rexam and Med Time Technology, a US manufacturer of plastic prescription vials, have launched “Pill Timer,” a packaging solution designed to boost treatment compliance rates.

Forest paying $313m to settle US DOJ investigation

16-Sep-2010 - Forest Pharmaceuticals has pleaded guilty to obstruction of an FDA inspection and agreed to pay $313m (€239m) in criminal and civil penalties to resolve this and other issues.

Amcor raises flexible packaging prices on rising raw material costs

16-Sep-2010 - Amcor says soaring raw material costs are behind its announcement to increase prices for most of its flexible packaging products.

Biomanufacturing sales key to Pall’s Q4 growth

15-Sep-2010 - Pall has ended fiscal 2010 with strong set of sales after recovering pharmaceutical industry demand for bioproduction tech maintained its momentum in Q4

News in brief

FDA warns B-MS about Manati plant

15-Sep-2010 - The US FDA has warned Bristol-Myers Squibb (B-MS) about significant GMP violations at plant in Manati, Puerto Rico, including a failure to establish anti-contamination protocols.

Q Chip scaling up cGMP production using new funding

15-Sep-2010 - Q Chip is using new funding to scale up its Q-Sphera technology for cGMP production of sustained release peptide and protein therapeutics.

NexACT enables rectal delivery of biologics, say Apricus Bio

15-Sep-2010 - Apricus Biosciences, formerly NexMed, announce preclinical data shows NexACT technology enables rectal delivery of biologics, including human antibodies.

News in brief

US demand for Pharma packaging to reel in $18.4bn during 2014

14-Sep-2010 - US demand for pharmaceutical packaging is expected to increase by 5.5 per cent a year and top $18.4bn in 2014, according to a new study.

Three workers killed at DSM plant in Italy

14-Sep-2010 - DSM has confirmed that three workers were killed at the weekend after an industrial accident at its food and pharmaceutical ingredient plant in southern Italy.

Grace to buy Synthetech for chiral expertise

14-Sep-2010 - Industrial catalysis firm WR Grace moves for struggling Synthetech to boost pharmaceutical intermediates and chiral chemistry offering.

Sanofi files sBLA with FDA for intradermal influenza vaccine

14-Sep-2010 - Sanofi Pasteur has filed a sBLA with the FDA for an intradermal form of influenza vaccine Fluzone using a microinjection system.

People on the move: pharma jobs

14-Sep-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including appointments at Protalix, Pevion, NeoStem and ProStraken.

Genzyme sells genetics lab; amid talk of staff cuts

13-Sep-2010 - Genzyme has confirmed plans to sell genetic testing unit to LabCorp for $925m amid media rumours that 1,000 employees face redundancy.

News in brief

DKSH lands Hayashibara drug excipients deal

13-Sep-2010 - Japanese excipient maker Hayashibara will access new markets through expanded deal with long-standing partner DKSH.

FDA approves KV product re-launch after inspection

13-Sep-2010 - KV Pharmaceutical is to return its first product to the market following a successful inspection of its facilities by the FDA.

News in brief

Abbott eyes $2.5bn Indian sales by 2020

09-Sep-2010 - Abbott completes $2.2bn acquisition of Piramal’s Healthcare Solutions biz and predicts Indian sales of $2.5bn by 2020.

TimeTemp bring waste solution with intelligent shelf-life indicator

09-Sep-2010 - The Norwegian “green packaging” company, TimeTemp AS, intends to develop, produce and market freshness and quality indicators to the pharmaceutical industry that can be attached to cartons or pallets to...

Bend adds hot-melt tech to boost solubilisation service

09-Sep-2010 - Bend Research is bolstering its hot-melt extrusion service capabilities by installing new equipment at its contract manufacturing site.

Verayo, SkyeTek join for low-cost RFID authentication

09-Sep-2010 - Verayo and SkyeTek have partnered with GlobalPCCA to provide a low-cost RFID authentication system to fight counterfeits in Africa.

Update

GSK taps Lonza for bio plant knowledge; sells R&D site to Galapagos

08-Sep-2010 - GSK will work with Lonza on the development of a UK biomanufacturing plant as part of a new MAb manufacturing contract announced today.

News in brief

Bristol-Myers Squibb sign $885m deal to buy ZymoGenetics

08-Sep-2010 - Global biopharmaceutical company, Bristol-Myers Squibb will buy ZymoGenetics for $885m to become owner of a hepatitis C drug the companies are jointly developing.

Sanofi discontinuing old insulin pens in UK

08-Sep-2010 - Sanofi-Aventis is discontinuing use of old insulin pen devices in the UK in response to NPSA guidance.

Actavis looks to enter biosimilars through acquisition

08-Sep-2010 - Actavis is looking to enter the biosimilars sector through the proposed acquisition of a stake in Biopartners.

Exclusive interview

Thermo to add sites in China to fulfil APAC aspirations

07-Sep-2010 - Extension of a production site in Shanghai is a small part of the big aspirations Thermo has for China and Asia Pacific.

Update

DSM launches InnoSyn route scouting service for process R&D

07-Sep-2010 - DSM Pharma Chemicals, a business unit of DSM Pharmaceutical Products, has announced the launch of InnoSyn route scouting services, meeting pharma needs to outsource process development R&D.

Swedish team use bomb detection tech to spot fake drugs

07-Sep-2010 - Drugmakers may soon have a soon be able to identify fake pharmaceuticals using a new technique based on principals originally developed to detect explosives

News in brief

IPC wants to harmonize with USP standards

07-Sep-2010 - The Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) wants to harmonize general chapters with global standards set by the Pharmacopoeial Discussion Group (PDG).

Cipla looking at 25% Cipla Medpro investment

07-Sep-2010 - Indian drugmaker Cipla may invest in South Africa’s Cipla Medpro to boost manufacturing capacity and improve access to rapidly expanding African pharmaceutical markets.

Colorcon adds Turkey coating lab to tap regional markets

06-Sep-2010 - Colorcon says proximity to emerging drug manufacturing markets was key driver for new Turkey technical service lab.

Aurobindo supplying AZ with generics for emerging markets

06-Sep-2010 - Aurobindo Pharma is to supply AstraZeneca with solid dosage and sterile generic products for sale in emerging products.

US FDA OKs film formulation of opioid-dependance drug

06-Sep-2010 - Drug delivery company Monosol Rx and partner Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals have received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to market a sublingual film formulation of the opioid dependence treatment...

News in brief

PrePak buys TestPak for US capacity

06-Sep-2010 - US pharmaceutical packaging firm PrePak has bought US counterpart TestPak to add back-up manufacturing capacity.

People on the move: pharma jobs

06-Sep-2010 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including appointments at Inspire, King, Bionor and Oncothyreon.

Ranbaxy opens $30m SA plant to meet govt call for India trade boost

02-Sep-2010 - Ranbaxy is latest firm targeting South African growth with a new £30m (€24m) Johannesburg tablet and capsule manufacturing plant.

Bend receives patent for making spray-dried drug dispersions using pressure nozzles

02-Sep-2010 - US formulation services provider Bend Research has received a new patent for the process of producing spray-dried solid amorphous dispersions of drugs using single-fluid pressure nozzles.

BI opens ‘Centre of Competence’ opens as part of a €100m China plan

02-Sep-2010 - Boehringer Ingelheim has opened its ‘Centre of Competence’ (CoC) in Shanghai to optimise API and chemical intermediates sourcing in China.

News in brief

Plant-expressed vaccine site buying Xcellerex bioreactors

02-Sep-2010 - Xcellerex is providing XDR GMP single-use production bioreactors to the plant-expressed vaccine consortium behind Project GreenVax.

iBio, GE partner to work on plant-based production tech

02-Sep-2010 - iBio, CMB and GE Healthcare are collaborating on developing and marketing biopharm production systems, including plant-based expression technology.

Prosonix launches ultrasound-assisted co-crystal service

01-Sep-2010 - Prosonix has launched a co-crytsallisation service for the production of APIs for inhalable drugs and oral medicines.

RecipharmCobra gets patents for yield-boosting plasmid tech

01-Sep-2010 - RecipharmCobra Biologics has received US and EU patent protection for an antibiotic resistance gene-free plasmid maintenance technology it claims can boost biomanufacturing yields.

NanGenex adds bench-top, pilot nano API production tech

01-Sep-2010 - NanGenex is introducing GMP bench-top and pilot plant reactors to scale-up its process for the continuous production of nanostructured active ingredients.