RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics to combat human illnesses such
as Huntingdon's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and
hepatitis C are set to fuel the rapid growth in the RNAi research
product market over the next year.
The budget committee of Italy's Lower House of Parliament has
approved a plan by the opposition to require the national medicines
agency, the AIFA, to draw up a method of establishing 'optimal'
packaging for drugs to...
The shrink sleeve label is a staple of the food and beverage
industry, but has not been widely adopted for pharmaceutical use.
However, this could change as the technology has child-resistance
properties that could be of value in...
US drug giant Pfizer, has signed a license agreement to market a
specific class of non-hormonal drugs to treat the hot flushes
associated with menopause. The new drug,currently in development,
is set to become the first of its kind...
Pharmasset of the US could receive funding of $168 million
(€131.8m) in upfront and milestone payments - with the prospect of
receiving more - after licensing its preclinical hepatitis C drug
programme to Swiss drug giant Roche.
Sun Chemical has increased the price of all packaging inks and
coatings by three to seven per cent this month, blaming rising
petrochemical costs that could affect the entire packaging industry
for the next couple of years.
A pilot study organised by Accenture to explore the value of
implementing radiofrequency identification (RFID) and electronic
product code (EPC) technology in the pharmaceutical industry has
concluded that there are numerous benefits.
Regen Therapeutics (ReGen) announced it had entered into an
agreement to acquire Guildford Clinical Pharmacology Unit Limited
(GCPUL) confirming its strategy to develop its medical service
revenue generating business and developing...
Finnish packaging giant Huhtamaki has reported flat sales figures
in the third quarter of 2004 due to adverse currency translations
and high raw material costs.
Drug company Merck, has presented data this week showing its latest
arthrirtis drug, Arcoxia, a treatment in the same class as its
recently withdrawn Vioxx, displays no significant difference in the
number of serious side effects...
Ciba has launched a number of innovative products for the plastics
industry including environmentally friendly additives designed to
increase the lifespan of plastic.
Pfizer has called on the services of an Australian technology
company to create a metallised packaging for its Sudafed brand of
cough/cold products that does not come with an environmental price
tag.
A new biotechnology company - Peakadilly - has been set up in
Belgium to provide molecular diagnostic tools to guide the
development of new drugs. The company maintains that the tools will
make drug development more efficient, effective...
Rexam, which makes pharmaceutical packaging and is also the world's
largest manufacturer of aluminium cans, has sacked chief executive
Stefan Angwald after just five months on the job.
Hueck Folien, one of the largest European foil converters in the
flexible packaging sector, has introduced an aluminium lidding foil
which is sealable against Aclar, a widely used material in blister
films.
Giving patients control of analgesic medications through the use of
controllable pumps improves pain relief, but raises the risk of
harm more than 3.5 times, according to the US Pharmacopeia's Centre
for the Advancement of Patient...
Retailers should let suppliers meet upcoming RFID mandate deadlines
at a gradual pace to avoid creating a tag shortage or costing them
a fortune, says a prominent think-tank.
A report that focuses on Alzheimer's Disease and the crop of new
drugs to treat it, cites neuroprotection as a potential treatment
that may become more effective than the host of symptomatic
treatments currently available.
Sigpack Systems has introduced a new packaging line that it claims
can achieve a 50 per cent performance increase, using reduced
material costs and a return on investment in just six months.
Sherwood Technology has launched a new additive for solvent-based
coatings that could be used to provide a narking technology for
transparent packaging material, such as blisters used for
pharmaceuticals.
Japanese pharmaceutical company, Takeda, has entered into
collaboration with Bionumerik Pharmaceuticals, with the intention
of marketing Bionumerik's Tavocept (dimensa), a chemoprotective
drug that relieves the neurotherapy commonly...
A report cites an emerging trend within the pharmaceutical industry
that focuses on the human proteome and in turn, gene expression.
The findings are certain to play a future in the discovery of
protein-based biomarkers and hence...
Despite the protestations of suppliers, the cost of passive tags
used for radiofrequency identification (RFID) will not fall as low
as 5 cents per unit, and is more likely to be at the 16 cent level,
according to a recently published...
Italian packaging machinery company IMA has expanded its business
in the US market with acquisition of Nova Packaging Systems, which
makes automatic machines for the bottling of capsules and tablets.
Integrated material handling solutions provider FKI Logistex has
expanded its range of conveying surface options to make pallet
loading more adaptable and cost-effective for suppliers.
In the wake of label giant Avery Dennison's recently announced
charge into the radiofrequency identification (RFID) sector, Dan
Scarborough, the group's chief operating officer, has shed more
light on the rationale for the...
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety
and Energy Technology in Germany are developing a compostable
packaging tape that can be disposed of cheaply and creates less
waste.
France's genOway, the company behind the first-ever cloning of a
laboratory rat last year, has reported a double whammy of good
news, raising €4 million in funding and forging an alliance with
the world's number one drugs...
UK supermarket chain Tesco has begun rolling out an RFID network to
track shipments from its central distribution centre to all 98 of
its Tesco Extra superstores, with completion set for Christmas this
year.
A best-selling drug used by millions worldwide to treat arthritis
has been withdrawn from the market after comprehensive clinical
data confirmed long-established concerns that the treatment could
increase the risk of heart attacks...
Medicine containers that talk and give instructions on dosing have
been discussed for a long time, but the first systematic
application of the technology has come from a somewhat unlikely the
source - the US Army.
Sun Microsystems has been working on a number of initiatives
designed to help manufacturers improve supply chain efficiency and
achieve RFID compliance in time.
IBM has announced a $250 million (€203m) investment programme in
radiofrequency identification (RFID) and will boost the number of
employees working in this area by 1,000.
Bonar Plastics has developed a new container for hazardous liquids
that reduces the risk of spillages, is easy and safe for operators
to clean, and can be monitored using wireless technologies.
A new report into pharmaceutical R&D worldwide identifies a
changing trend in increasing R&D focus of drugs for breast
cancer treatment compared with those for prostate cancer. This may
account for prostate cancer becoming...
Labelling giant Avery Dennison has formed a new business unit to
manufacture and sell low-cost radiofrequency identification (RFID)
inlays and tags, putting its weight behind a technology that to
date has mostly been pushed forward...
Videojet Technologies has developed the Videojet Broadcast System
as a cost effective means of helping suppliers meet tight retailer
mandates on RFID implementation.
GE's security business has begun testing a cost-effective container
security solution for use in maritime shipping. The new product is
designed to detect unauthorised access to a container, and can
monitor the container in transit...
Automated packaging developer Bradman Lake is launching its latest
robotic top load cartoner for throughputs of up to 300ppm, an
innovation that the group hopes will build on its international
reputation.
AstraZeneca has installed a new software system to handle its
global packaging and labelling activities in a bid to cut time to
market, maintain regulatory compliance and improve collaboration
and artwork approvals.
Needle free injector specialist Bioject Medical Technologies has
won a new contract to supply its drug vial adaptor product,
designed to make syringe filling completely needle free.
Soaring energy costs are driving up the price of packaging
materials. Anthony Fletcher looks at the state of the market
for polyethylene, polypropylene and polystyrene.
Cardinal Health says it plans to expand and restructure several of
its facilities around the world after what it describes as
'heightened customer demand for clinical supply services, such as
design, packaging, labelling, storage...
Could environmentally-friendly biodegradable containers made from
wheat starch eventually replace traditional polystyrene-based
products? Only if the price is right, reports Anthony
Fletcher.
Italy's Marchesini has introduced a new packaging system that can
handle safety syringes, which are underused in Europe compared to
the US despite their proven benefits in reducing needlestick
injuries, reports Phil Taylor. It...
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is facing a number of US lawsuits, which
claims the company had covered up negative data that indicated its
antidepressant Paxil might increase suicidal tendencies in young
people.
LINPAC Materials Handling has introduced a reusable container -
designed for pharmaceuticals and food and beverages - that could
allow companies to significantly reduce their shipping costs,
claims the company.
While still a small part of the packaging giant Rexam's overall
business, pharmaceuticals has been instrumental in driving a robust
rise in sales and earnings at the company's plastics division in
the first half of the year.
