EU wholesalers express concern with pharma package

23-Dec-2008 - The European Association of Pharmaceutical Full-line Wholesalers (GIRP) says it has concerns about the anti-counterfeiting proposals contained in the European Commission's recently-released 'pharmaceutical package.'

Schott shrugs off downturn with sales, earnings hike

23-Dec-2008 -  Germany’s Schott Glass posted a 4 per cent increase in revenues during fiscal 2008, bringing in €2.23bn across its divisions.

Pfizer licenses gene knockout tech

23-Dec-2008 -  Pfizer has gained a license for the use of certain ZFP Nuclease (ZFNs) reagents from Sangamo BioSciences, which it will use to modify Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cell lines.

The big five of 2008

23-Dec-2008 -  in-PharmaTechnologist takes a look back over the past 12 months, rounding up our five most read stories of the year.

GSK ceases political contributions

23-Dec-2008 -  GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is stopping making corporate political contributions as part of its transparency drive but employees can still donate through the Political Action Committee (PAC).

FDA beams approval of cancer therapy

22-Dec-2008 -  Ion Beam Applications (IBA) has said it has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) cancer treatment.

$20m heat activated delivery tech deal

22-Dec-2008 -  Yakult Honsha has gained the exclusive Japanese licensing rights for Celsion’s ThermoDox drug delivery platform, which uses heat activated liposomes that break down above a certain temperature.

News in brief

USP enters into MOU with UK body

22-Dec-2008 -  The US Pharmacopeia (USP) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the UK National Biological Standards Board to improve the quality of medicines.

Merck takes charge of Stimuvax manufacture

22-Dec-2008 -  Merck Serono has stumped up $13m (€9m) to add manufacturing rights to its Stimuvax licensing deal with Oncothyreon and buy up any remaining inventory of the candidate lung cancer vaccine....

MonoSol targets MENA through Hikma deal

18-Dec-2008 -  MonoSol Rx and Hikma are teaming up to sell thin film pharmaceutical products in the emerging Middle East and North African (MENA) drug markets. 

Siga poised for trials as US focuses on bio-terror

18-Dec-2008 -  The completion of trial batches of Siga Technologies’ smallpox treatment ST-246 could not have been better timed following as it does the recomendation that the Obama government raise the threat...

EU action yields record counterfeit haul

18-Dec-2008 -  The European Union’s coordinated clamp down on counterfeit drugs has resulted in hauls far exceeding expectations, with 34m pills seized in two months.

Analysis of 2008’s shifting employment patterns

18-Dec-2008 -  To accompany the map detailing job losses, which can be viewed here , we have picked out the details and trends from the data, uncovering the state of US pharmaceutical employment...

Santa not the only person with the sack this Christmas

17-Dec-2008 -  Festive cheer is a scarce commodity in the drug industry this December as B-MS, Jazz and Arpida cut jobs, falling into step with Pfizer and Elan which each announced a...

Philips’ acquisitions boost nebulizer business

17-Dec-2008 -  Philips Home Healthcare Solutions has had a busy week, acquiring an Italian aerosol therapy business from Medel and a manufacturing facility in Guandong, China.

News in brief

Medicago invests to increase H5N1 vaccine production

17-Dec-2008 -  Medicago is investing $1.5m to expand its manufacturing facility in Quebec, Canada, as it attempts to ramp up production to ensure supply for its clinical trials.

News in brief

GE launches scaleable chromatography system

17-Dec-2008 -  GE Healthcare has launched a liquid chromatography system, ÄKTAready, for process scale-up and production of drugs from Phase I through to commercial scale.

Biotech goes cap in hand to government

17-Dec-2008 -  Biotech bodies from around the globe have been calling on their respective governments to provide stimulus packages to compensate for the current difficulties in obtaining credit.

HHS calls for employer role in flu drug stockpiling

17-Dec-2008 -  The US HHS says that healthcare workers and emergency service personnel should be given antivirals before this year’s flu season or any pandemic kick in and also calls for the...

Burgopak partners to sell award winning packs in US

17-Dec-2008 -  McKesson RxPak has entered into a partnership with Burgopak, to provide the latter’s compliance packaging to companies in the US.

News in brief

Aeropharm selects Prosonix for crystallisation

16-Dec-2008 -  German inhaled drug specialist Aeropharm will use Prosonix’ sonocrystallisation technology to develop generics in its candidate pipeline. 

CTx selects IDBS for drug development kit

16-Dec-2008 -  Australian drug development firm Cancer Therapeutics (CTx) has selected IDBS’ E-workbook and ActivityBase platforms to manage its global drug development programmes. 

Helsinn’s Irish trial supplies site cleared

16-Dec-2008 -  Helsinn’s facility in Dublin, Ireland has been cleared to package, test and store clinical trial supplies by the country’s medicines board, expanding on the US FDA approval it gained earlier...

News in brief

ProMetic inks $35m adsorbent deal

16-Dec-2008 -  ProMetic BioSciences has signed a $35m supply agreement with a leading European biopharmaceutical company, under which it will provide one of its proprietary affinity adsorbents.

News in brief

Pakistan aims for $500m exports; raise standards

16-Dec-2008 -  The Pakistani pharmaceutical industry is aiming to export $500m worth of products by 2013, according to the Pakistan Observer, an increase of 500 per cent on current levels.

RF drug delivery device gains CE mark

16-Dec-2008 -  TransPharma Medical has received the European CE mark for its transdermal drug delivery device ViaDerm, which creates pores to allow a therapeutic through the skin.

FDA guidance on genotoxic impurities

16-Dec-2008 -  The FDA has issued draft guidance on how manufacturers should evaluate the safety of products that contain genotoxic and carcinogenic impurities.

Elan cuts staff and offices as Tysabri wavers

15-Dec-2008 -  Irish drugmaker Elan, which recently dropped plans to sell its Elan Drug Technologies operation, has announced job cuts and the closure of offices in a bid to save cash. ...

EU ‘pharma package’ sees big changes for pharmacovigilance

15-Dec-2008 -  At the heart of Europe’s new ‘pharmaceutical package’ are measures designed to improve patient protection through better safety monitoring. 

News in brief

Indian drugs increasingly seized in EU

15-Dec-2008 -  Shipments of drugs manufactured in India are increasingly being seized by authorities when the vessels dock in Europe on route to Latin America, according to Livemint.

News in brief

Sierra Leone seizes counterfeits

15-Dec-2008 -  The Sierra Leone Pharmacy Board has destroyed over $400,000 worth of counterfeit drugs in its attempts to cleanse the nation of the problem, according to Awoko.

Schott boosts German pharma glass capacity

15-Dec-2008 -  Schott plans to add two giant glass melting tanks at its facility in Mainz, Germany, continuing the expansion of pharmaceutical tubing production capacity and creating 135 new jobs in the...

Race for Commissioner hots up

15-Dec-2008 -  The race to be the next FDA Commissioner is becoming increasingly competitive, with candidates jostling for position and interested parties attempting to influence proceedings.

Alcan to close Syracuse plant

15-Dec-2008 -  Alcan Packaging’s decision to close its packaging production facility in Nebraska, US, at a cost of 71 jobs, follows just weeks after parent company, Australian mining giant Rio Tinto, announced...

Valeant’s efforts in dermatology market: DPS buy

11-Dec-2008 -  Valeant continues its spending spree with the $285m acquisition of California-based research dermatology specialist Dow Pharmaceutical Sciences (DPS), in a further bid to cement its market position. 

News in brief

Hospira initiates voluntary recall

11-Dec-2008 -  Hospira has initiated a voluntary recall of one lot of its sodium chloride injection, USP as an incorrect barcode label meant medication errors could occur.

Quadro aims to make trails in powder processing

11-Dec-2008 -  Quadro Engineering has entered into a partnership to distribute Micro-Macinazione’s Jet-Mill products in the Americas, as well as launching its own API sifter.

Generic sales growth slows for 1st time in years

11-Dec-2008 -  The sales growth of generic drugs slowed considerably in 2008, dipping below the customary double digits to 3.6 per cent, according to a report by IMS Health.

Pharmaceutical package: no repackaging ban, but shift towards DTC

11-Dec-2008 -  The European Union’s long-awaited reform of pharmaceutical regulations known as the ‘pharmaceutical package’ was unveiled yesterday after months of consultation and debate. 

Delays to track and trace laws affect Domino

10-Dec-2008 -  Efforts to sure-up pharma track and trace rules and combat counterfeiting are a significant opportunity for specialist labelling firms, but the pace of change is proving to be a frustration,...

The advent of Touch & Talk’s packaging compliance calendar

10-Dec-2008 -  US firm Touch & Talk Software (TTS) hopes that compliance benefits offered by its new automated ProPacker 30CP calendar blister packaging system will be attractive to clinical trials companies and...

Kemwell forges consumer health partnership with GSK

10-Dec-2008 -  GlaxoSmithKline has gone into partnership with Indian contract manufacturing and development services company Kemwell to set up an R&D facility aimed at developing new oral healthcare products.

News in brief

3M licenses dry powder inhaler platform

10-Dec-2008 -  3M Drug Delivery has exclusively licensed Cambridge Consultants’ Conix Dry Powder Inhaler (DPI) technology platform.

Merck launches biogenerics business

10-Dec-2008 -  Merck & Co is moving into the follow-on biologics market as it searches for new revenue streams to reduce the damage caused by generic competition.

Pall hopes to have manufacturing in the bag

10-Dec-2008 -  Pall Life Sciences has launched its Allegro 3D biocontainers, which have been designed to improve the performance of the company’s large-scale, single use manufacturing systems.

NanoVic’s 24-carat insulin delivery idea

09-Dec-2008 - Although it is widely acknowledged that medical bracelets can be the difference between life and death, Australia’s Nanotechnology Victoria (NanoVic) has become the first to take the idea further with...

Indian government acts to promote biotech

09-Dec-2008 -  India’s industry has been boosted by news that 20 more biotech parks are to be set up and financial actions are being implemented to help small businesses.

Actavis to divest Bulgarian manufacturing site

09-Dec-2008 -  One of Actavis’ Bulgarian production facilities is being bought out by the management, which will provide contract manufacturing services to the generic maker and other companies.

Crunch causes ripple effect in Europe’s pharma water sector

09-Dec-2008 -  Demand for pharmaceutical manufacturing grade water in Europe shows no sign of drying up, according to a new study by industry analysts Frost & Sullivan. 

News in brief

Merck challenged to re-evaluate waste water

09-Dec-2008 -  Virginia’s Waste Control Board has challenged Merck to create different ways of achieving compliance with 2011 environmental standards, according to the Rocktown Weekly that is based in the state.

Haemacure seeks ruling in Hemaseel dispute

08-Dec-2008 -  Haemacure is calling for the International Court of Arbitration in Paris, France to force CSL Behring to make a $1.5m milestone payment that it believes is now due under a...

Departure debacle: Hermelin and KV part company

08-Dec-2008 -  KV Pharmaceuticals’ long-serving CEO Marc Hermelin has either been sacked or has retired, depending on which party’s version of events one believes, and is being replaced by David Vliet CEO...

News in brief

UK court throws out SFO price fixing appeal

08-Dec-2008 -  The Court of Appeal in London has rejected an SFO bid to re-open its long running case against five generics firms that it alleged had defrauded the National Health Service...

Norres claims clamp holds firm under pressure

08-Dec-2008 -  Germany-based Norres has launched a new clamp system for externally corrugated hoses, which it claims will remain secure even in high pressure conditions.

Judge warns Commission over patent changes

08-Dec-2008 -  A UK judge has warned against the European Commission making rash changes following its report into big pharma blocking generics, arguing that it could damage development of new drugs.

DSM to make NicOx’ naproxcinod API

04-Dec-2008 -  Life sciences firm DSM has landed the contract to manufacture supplies of NicOx’ much vaunted anti-inflammatory agent naproxcinod and looks good for the long term deal. 

News in brief

Eisai’s UK investment to create 300 UK jobs

04-Dec-2008 -  Eisai says that its £60m expansion of its R&D facility in Hatfield in the UK will create 300 new jobs, swelling its workforce to 500. 

Common confusions on the supply chain

04-Dec-2008 -  Common misunderstandings in the steps needed to ensure raw materials are free from contaminants were part of a speech at this year’s AAPS.

Cooperative manufacture of biologics; FDA guide

04-Dec-2008 -  Final guidance on the cooperative manufacture of licensed biologics has been issued by the FDA, which gives companies an outline of how to share responsibilities through the production process.

GSK to cut 200 jobs ahead of generic Zofran

03-Dec-2008 -  UK drug giant GSK is to shed 200 jobs at its manufacturing plant in Barnard Castle, County Durham to cut costs ahead of generic competition for products made at the...

Actavis selects Malta as Africa waypoint

03-Dec-2008 -  Icelandic generics firm Actavis plans to use Malta as a distribution hub for the supply of drugs to the emerging African pharmaceutical market, according to reports in the Maltese press....

JAMA study reignites branded versus generic debate

03-Dec-2008 -  A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) claiming there is no evidence that brandname cardiovascular drugs are superior to their generic counterparts, despite claims to the...

News in brief

Qatar and Egypt plan new drug plant

03-Dec-2008 -  Qatar and Egypt are to set up a new drug manufacturing plant at a facility in Qatar, according to BusinessIntelligence. The new facility will begin by producing soluble drugs for...

News in brief

DEG poisoning claims yet more victims in Nigeria

03-Dec-2008 -  Diethyleneglycol (DEG) has reared its ugly head again, causing up to 25 deaths in Nigeria so far this year according to a November 28 article on the allAfrica.com website.

Drug delivery laser aims to P.L.E.A.S.E.

03-Dec-2008 -  Pantec Biosolutions has received CE marking for its painless laser epidermal system (P.L.E.A.S.E.), which it claims can facilitate transdermal delivery of high molecular weight drugs....

Latest research into heparin delivery

03-Dec-2008 -  The latest research into the delivery of heparin was on display at this year’s AAPS, demonstrating the work that has been undertaken to improve administration methods.

Specialists turn to R&D in tough economic times

02-Dec-2008 - As more and more delivery firms set their sights on the specialty pharma sector, existing specialty players are increasingly abandoning established licensing strategies in favour of developing drugs in-house to...

Dow’s foam granulation used in second B-MS candidate

02-Dec-2008 -  News that US drugmaker Bristol-Myers Squibb (B-MS) is using its Foam Granulation Technology (FGT) to develop a second drug has worked formulation specialist Dow Wolff Cellulosics (DWC) into quite a...

Cheap ARVs to spark manufacturing in African

02-Dec-2008 -  Research into developing manufacturing methods to produce cheap antiretrovirals in Africa has been highlighted on World Aids Day by The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

Domino’s unveils 5” printhead at Embellage

02-Dec-2008 -  Domino Printing Sciences chose this year’s Emballage world packaging exhibition in Paris, France to showcase the new 5” printhead it has developed for its V300+ thermal transfer printer. 

Roundtable discusses creating a biogeneric pathway

02-Dec-2008 -  The challenges in establishing a regulatory pathway for biogenerics were discussed at a recent FTC roundtable, with a FDA official saying in most cases it will be “impossible” to establish...

News in brief

NAFDAC launches counterfeit raid

02-Dec-2008 -  Nigeria is continuing its battle against counterfeit medicines, closing down nine illegal pharmacies and seizing drugs valued at a little less than $850,000.

News in brief

Titan lays off 40% of workforce

02-Dec-2008 -  Titan Pharmaceuticals is to lay-off 40 per cent of its workforce at it attempts to lower operating expenses and preserve capital.

News in brief

RFCL’s Mallinckrodt take over now uncertain?

01-Dec-2008 -  Economic uncertainty may have scuppered Ranbaxy Fine Chemicals’ efforts to buy US chemicals rival Mallinckrodt Baker, according to a report in India’s Economic Times.

News in brief

Sewtec’s new labelling platform works with single and multipacks

01-Dec-2008 -  Sewtec claims that its new LX5194 Labelling System is the first to be compatible with both single and multipack cartons, enhancing the flexibility and speed with which manufacturers can switch...

News in brief

UPM opens China RFID plant

01-Dec-2008 - UPM Raflatac hopes its new RFID facility in Guangzhou, China will strengthen its market position as the country’s drugmakers seek to improve their international reputation and increase exports.

Big Pharma’s generic delaying tactics costs patients €3bn, says EC

01-Dec-2008 -  Competition commissioner Neelie Kroes said that some drugmakers operating in the EU are deliberately stalling the introduction of generics, costing European patients around €3bn ($3.87bn) a year more to buy...

FDA official gives insight into heparin case

01-Dec-2008 -  Following fresh criticism of the agency’s handling of the heparin case, in-PharmaTechnologist reports on a FDA official’s explanation of the what, the when and the why of the scandal, from...

Penwest seals drug delivery deal

01-Dec-2008 -  Penwest Pharmaceutical’s TIMERx drug delivery technology is to be used to develop one of Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s compounds under a new deal.