AZ to outsource all API production in 7 years

30-Nov-2009 - AstraZeneca will outsource the manufacture of all drug APIs under a operating plan discussed last week.

News in brief

Japan begins looking at GSK H1N1 vacc in Canada

30-Nov-2009 - Japanese regulators have arrived in Canada to begin investigating reports that GSK’s H1N1 vaccine has been linked to a number of allergic reactions.

RPC cuts costs to post profit

30-Nov-2009 - RPC Group said strict cost cutting measures were responsible for it posting a half-year profit of £8m - despite the continued economic gloom and hints of polymer price rises.

Sanofi plans to join Russian manufacturing project

30-Nov-2009 - Sanofi-Aventis plans to participate with a Russian state-owned corporation in a project to attract innovative drug manufacturers to the country, using its insulin facility as a pilot initiative.

Unilife files US patents for “world first” RTF vacc syringe; mulls Nasdaq listing

30-Nov-2009 - Unilife Medical Solutions has filed US patents for Unifill Select, which it claims is the first ready-to-fill (RTF) syringe specifically designed for vaccine delivery.

Few pharma plants will be sold to CMOs; report

26-Nov-2009 - The recent wave of M&A will lead to manufacturing over-capacity at pharma companies but only a small number of these sites will be sold to CMOs, in part because of...

Ranbaxy recalls Sotret in the US for second time

26-Nov-2009 - Indian drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories has withdrawn stocks of its acne drug Sotret in the US for the second time this year after some tablets were found to be out of...

SAFC launches Ex-cell Antifoam for biomanufacturing

26-Nov-2009 - SAFC Biosciences hopes Ex-Cell Antifoam, its new foam control product for cell culture bioreactors, will work the biomanufacturing sector into a lather.

News in brief

Merck & Co to close NJ warehouse with loss of 80 jobs

26-Nov-2009 - US drugmaker Merck & Co is to close a New Jersey warehouse owned by recent acquisition Schering-Plough, cutting 80 jobs.

Sinovac forms vaccine manufacturing JV

26-Nov-2009 - Sinovac Biotech has formed a joint venture which will give it cost effective manufacturing capacity for 20m does of live attenuated vaccines and 20m doses of vero cell cultured vaccines...

Norvartis’ US cell vacc plant could make adjuvant in December

25-Nov-2009 - Novartis says its new cell culture plant in Holly Springs, North Carolina could begin making its flu vaccine boosting MF59 adjuvant as early as next month if approved by US...

News in brief

Pfizer to build R&D capacity in China

25-Nov-2009 - Pfizer will expand its clinical services and biomedical presence in China as part of a worldwide effort to develop its R&D infrastructure.

People on the move: pharma jobs

25-Nov-2009 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including the departure of West’s COO and appointments at LSO and Genocea Biosciences.

USP revises vial labelling standard

25-Nov-2009 - The USP has clarified its proposed revision to the labelling of injectable drug vials which states that ferrules and cap overseals can only have markings intended to prevent an imminent...

Merck KGaA plans €150m clinical R&D centre in China

24-Nov-2009 - Merck KGaA says China’s growing drug market is the key driver for the new €150m ($224m) clinical R&D hub it plans to set up in Beijing.

Millipore buys Indian JV

24-Nov-2009 - Millipore has acquired the remaining 60 per cent of its Indian joint venture (JV) to drive growth in the country which it views, along with the other BRICS nations, as...

News in brief

Servier’s Irish R&D and manufacturing plant opens

24-Nov-2009 - French drugmaker Servier has opened a new €47m manufacturing and R&D facility in Ireland.

Ace to sell GEA freeze-dryers in India

23-Nov-2009 - GEA Pharma Systems has extended its agency agreement with India’s Ace Technologies to include its range of lyophil freeze-dryers in a bid to further open up the market.

News in brief

Abu Dhabi building $150m biologics plant

23-Nov-2009 - A $150m (€100m) biologics manufacturing plant is being setup in Abu Dhabi to produce therapeutics for the Middle East and North Africa, according to the Khaleej Times.

Anti-counterfeiting effort seizes 167,000 pills

23-Nov-2009 - A five-day international anti-counterfeiting operation involving regulators, police and customs officials from 24 countries has resulted in the seizure of 167,000 counterfeit pills.

Pfizer may join Japanese generics market in 2011

23-Nov-2009 - Just weeks after completing its billion dollar Wyeth takeover, US drug giant Pfizer has floated the idea of entering Japan’s $5.8bn (€3.9bn)-a-year generic drugs market in 2011 in a bid...

Vaccine demand a friend to Pall in Q1; but sales still fall 5.4%

19-Nov-2009 - Continued high demand for vaccine manufacturing technologies saw life sciences emerge as one of the few positives for industrial processing specialist Pall in Q1.

Reimportation is “legislative madness”

19-Nov-2009 - It is “legislative madness” to allow reimportation in the US, according to the chair of EAASM who spoke at AAPS about Europe’s “porous supply chain” and how it could affect...

News in brief

UCB to cut 200 jobs in UK and Belgium

19-Nov-2009 - Belgian biotech UCB is to reduce workforce 2 per cent as part of R&D restructuring plan according to various reports.

People on the move: pharma jobs

19-Nov-2009 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including appointments at Xoma and Watson Pharmaceuticals, plus a new role for Fred Hasaan.

Failed anti-depressant flibanserin reborn as female “Viagra”?

18-Nov-2009 - Boehringer Ingelheim looks set for a significant windfall with results from Phase III trials indicating that its drug flibanserin can boost sexual desire in women, raising the prospect of a...

Reaxa gets UK grant for Ni EnCat scale-up

18-Nov-2009 - UK process technologies firm Reaxa has received a £146K (€164K) R&D grant from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) to scale-up production of its EnCat nickel catalyst.

BASF talks novel excipients

18-Nov-2009 - The FDA encourages innovation in excipients to develop new drugs or improve approved therapeutics and IPEC is helping to drive acceptance of these novel products, according to BASF.

News in brief

GBM trial to deliver Avastin across BBB

18-Nov-2009 - Neurosurgeons have developed and used a novel intra-arterial (IA) technique to deliver Avastin (bevacizumab) directly into a malignant brain tumour, potentially administering a higher dose with reduced toxicity.

Colorcon rolls out On-Dose ID anti-counterfeiting tech

17-Nov-2009 - Colorcon has met US FDA calls for PCIDs to combat fake drugs with the mark On-Dose ID labelling technology for tablet coatings.

Cafosa launches gum delivery excipient

17-Nov-2009 - Spanish ingredient supplier Cafosa has launched a new directly compressible pharmaceutical excipient for medicated chewing gums that, it claims, can boost patient compliance.

Emergent buys Baltimore production plant

17-Nov-2009 - US biotech Emergent BioSolutions has bought a manufacturing facility from Maryland’s MdBio Foundation is a bid to expand its production infrastructure.

News in brief

GSK teams up with Nabi on NicVax

17-Nov-2009 - GSK has signed a $540m (€362m) licensing agreement with Nabi Biopharmaceuticals for the Phase III candidate nicotine vaccine, NicVAX.

Schott starts mass production of TopLyo vials

16-Nov-2009 - Schott begins commercial scale production of its TopLyo vials in a bid to meet growing demand for packaging solutions for freeze-dried bio-drugs.

News in brief

LyondellBasell launch new high temp LDPE grade

16-Nov-2009 - LyondellBasell has launched Purell PE 3420F, a new low density polyethylene grade (LDPE) for pharmaceutical packaging applications.

Contamination found in Genzyme drugs; no FDA ban

16-Nov-2009 - US FDA maintains market approval for key Genzyme drugs despite reports of steel and rubber fragments in some batches.

UK aims to improve manufacturing efficiency

16-Nov-2009 - A consortium including GlaxoSmithKline and GEA has been formed to push continuous processing and improve pharma manufacturing efficiency in the UK in response to competition from emerging markets.

News in brief

ISP launches excipient website

12-Nov-2009 - ISP Pharmaceuticals hopes its new excipient focussed web resource will help the drug industry formulate “the next generation” pharmaceuticals.

Galenix and DSM sign manufacturing and marketing accord

12-Nov-2009 - French drug delivery specialist Galenix has named DSM’s pharmaceutical products unit as its manufacturing and co-marketing partner as it continues to efforts build its global presence.

Dow launches digital Keys to Chelation

12-Nov-2009 - Dow has used AAPS 2009 to launch an updated, digital version of its Keys to Chelation compilation, which allows to industry reference standard to be used more effectively, according to...

AAPS - trends in turbulent times

12-Nov-2009 - AAPS 2009 has drawn to a close but over the three days numerous trends and debates emerged, including the strategies CROs are using in the downturn, and we take a...

Genmab selling plant and turning to CMOs

10-Nov-2009 - Genmab has put its Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, US facility up for sale, which will reduce its headcount by 300, and plans to use CMOs to cover for the loss of capacity.

News in brief

Dow launches low aldehyde PEG

10-Nov-2009 - Dow has used AAPS 2009 to launch low aldehyde grades of its Carbowax Sentry PEG, which are niche products aimed at formulators seeking to improve shelf life.

People on the move: pharma jobs

10-Nov-2009 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest round up of movements in the pharma sector, including appointments at Sanofi-Aventis, RXi Pharmaceuticals and Vivus.

BASF’s Kollicoat of many colours

09-Nov-2009 - BASF says the new coloured tablet extension to its Kollicoat IR coating polymer will help manufacturers produce patient-friendly pills.

News in brief

USP revised glycol and sorbitol monographs published.

09-Nov-2009 - New US Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) monographs designed to prevent adulteration of key excipients with diethylene glycol (DEG) and ethylene glycol (EG) have been published ahead of their official implementation date...

ICH makes progress on S9, S6 and Q8-10 workshops

09-Nov-2009 - The ICH says it made progress on its S9 guideline on non-clinical data requirement for late-stage cancer treatments at its most recent steering committee meeting in Missouri, US.

Catalent unveils ulta-sensitive melamine test for drugs

05-Nov-2009 - US contract services firm Catalent has launched a new test service capable of detecting trace amounts of the toxic chemical melamine in pharmaceuticals.

PharmaForm rolls out contract spray-drying service

05-Nov-2009 - US CMO PharmaForm has added spray-drying to its contract offering to capture a share of the ever-present market for drug bioavailability enhancement.

SMS deal expands reach

05-Nov-2009 - Particulate Systems (PS) and Surface Measurement Systems (SMS) have entered into a strategic collaboration drawing on their knowledge of using analytic equipment for the characterisation of particulate, porous and complex...

Abraxis dedicates nanobiologics site

05-Nov-2009 - Abraxis Health has dedicated its manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona, US which is the result of a $70m (€47m) investment to give the company the nanotech and biologics capacity needed...

News in brief

New Jersey R&D sites vital, says Merck CEO

05-Nov-2009 - US R&D facilities in Rahway and Kenilworth, New Jersey will remain operational as they are vital to the to the newly formed Merck Schering-Plough group, according to CEO Richard Clark....

West laying off 100 staff

04-Nov-2009 - West Pharmaceutical Services is laying off 100 staff as part of restructuring efforts after its third quarter results fell short of expectations, despite operating profit increasing by 45 per cent.

Genzyme targets BBB

04-Nov-2009 - Genzyme is evaluating to-BBB’s G-Technology as part of a research collaboration aimed at developing treatments capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier (BBB).

News in brief

GSK and Pfizer launch ViiV Healthcare

04-Nov-2009 - GSK and Pfizer have launched their HIV focused JV, ViiV Healthcare with the promise that it will undertake “relentless pursuit” of new drugs.

Penn completes phase one of Tredegar plant expansion

03-Nov-2009 - Welsh contract services firm Penn Pharmaceuticals has reorganised its transport and delivery infrastructure in the first phase of a £12m (€13.3m) expansion at its facility in Tredegar.

DNA tests required for Trovan claimants after data lost

03-Nov-2009 - Pfizer and Nigerian authorities want Trovan compensation claimants to provide DNA samples to confirm their identity, according to former Nigerian Supreme court justice Abubakar Wali.

Novartis invests in China

03-Nov-2009 - Novartis is investing $250m (€170m) to construct a facility in China focused on research, development and manufacture of APIs and has earmarked a further $1bn to expand its R&D activities...

News in brief

ThermoSafe and Storopack form EU focused partnership

03-Nov-2009 - Insulated packaging specialist ThermoSafe Brands has formed a supply partnership with German firm Storopack Hans Reichenecker in an effort to expand in Europe.

People on the move: pharma jobs

03-Nov-2009 - in-PharmaTechnologist presents its latest roundup of movements in the pharma sector, including appointments at Intrexon, Cephalon, NeoPharma and Chelsea Therapeutics.

Influenza: statins may help, but did aspirin misuse hinder in 1918?

02-Nov-2009 - Early-stage CDC research suggests that the anti-inflammatory properties of cholesterol-busting statin drugs can help mitigate the impact of flu infection.

Lonza cuts 2009 guidance 14% and plans workforce cuts

02-Nov-2009 - Lonza cuts 2009 earning guidance and may reduce its workforce under “Project Bond” cost cutting plan after a Q3 characterized by an “accumulation of unexpected events”

Efficacy at Ph III: lupus drug Benlysta confirms blockbuster potential

02-Nov-2009 - Good news for Human Genome Sciences (HGS) as development partner GSK reports Ph III data showing that their co-owned lupus treatment Benlysta (belimumab) is effective.

News in brief

Phoenix helps closed Shasun plant rise from the “ashes”

02-Nov-2009 - Phoenix Chemicals will re-open a chemicals manufacturing plant in Scotland less than a year after it was closed by former owner Shasun Pharma Solutions.

O’Hara launches 3-in-1 coating

02-Nov-2009 - O’Hara Technologies has launched a lab-scale tablet coating system that incorporates a blender and tray dry oven inserts to cut capital expense and GMP spaced needed perform these tasks.