Botswana seeks partners to start manufacturing drugs

18-Mar-2010 - The Botswanan government is seeking to initiate local pharma manufacturing, which would lower drug prices, by entering into public-private partnerships (PPP), according to a report by F&S.

Outsourcing to Asia is a “strategic imperative”; Quintiles

18-Mar-2010 - Outsourcing to Asia is changing “from a tactical to a strategic imperative” as a result of the region gaining the capabilities needed to perform work high up the biopharma value chain, according to Quintiles.

GVK opens Ahmedabad clinical pharmacology unit

17-Mar-2010 - Indian CRO GVK Biosciences hopes new clinical pharmacology unit in Ahmedabad will help boost patient recruitment to meet growing demand for clinical trials in the region.

Quintiles relocates Japan lab in response to “huge growth”

17-Mar-2010 - Quintiles has relocated its global central laboratory in Japan to meet rising demand from the local market and US and European pharmas keen to include the country in their clinical trial network.

Centralising ECG trial data can cut costs 40%, says ERT

15-Mar-2010 - E Research Technology (ERT) launches Centralised Cardiac Safety 2.0 (CCS 2.0) service for ECG data and says approach improves efficiency, cuts costs and helps sponsors reach database lock quicker than distributed model.

China to build ‘one of largest biologics CMOs in Asia’

15-Mar-2010 - The Chinese government is supporting a $100m (€73m) project to build a contract biologics production facility in Beijing, which, by some measures, would be the largest in Asia.

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Quintiles opens Nairobi office

11-Mar-2010 - Contract services giant Quintiles has continued its expansion in Africa with a new clinical research services office in Nairobi, Kenya.

Kendle introduces time saving global statistics platform

11-Mar-2010 - Kendle has implemented a centralised biostatistics platform which will “create significant time savings” by improving global access to clinical trial data, according to the company.

Wuxi income up in ’09, plans investments this year

09-Mar-2010 - WuXi PharmaTech posted an operating profit of $52m (€38m) in 2009 and is optimistic about 2010, when it will make investments in laboratory services and large-scale manufacturing to drive growth in coming years.

Kendle to set up clinical support site in Indian SEZ

08-Mar-2010 - Kendle is setting up a facility in a special economic zone (SEZ) in India which will provide clinical support services and be able to rapidly increase staffing in response to spikes in demand.

BTS opens Singapore consulting office

03-Mar-2010 - Bayer Technology Services (BTS) has set up a new Singapore office to provide the regions’ drug and chemicals producers with engineering consultation services and micro reaction technology.

PPD opens Ireland lab; moves forward with Furiex spin-off

02-Mar-2010 - US CRO PPD has been busy on both sides of the Atlantic, opening a clinical testing facility in Ireland and, in the US, moving forward with plans to spin-off its compound partnering business as Furiex Pharmaceuticals

Watson to sell ScinoPharm share to Uni-President

02-Mar-2010 - A significant share of contract API maker ScinoPharm Taiwan is set to change hands after Watson Pharmaceuticals decided to sell its stake to Uni-President Enterprises Corporation.

WuXi collaborates with J&J to bring GLP to China

02-Mar-2010 - WuXi PharmaTech is collaborating with J&J Pharmaceutical R&D, providing the pharma with toxicology services and receiving training to establish GLP at its facility in Suzhou, China.

FDA OK for Haupt Pharma’s Italian antibiotics plant

01-Mar-2010 - US FDA clearance for Italian antibiotics production facility is important for global growth says German contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) Haupt Pharma.

Small firms turning to US CMOs in downturn; SOCMA

24-Feb-2010 - In the economic downturn biotechs have cut back on outsourcing to Asia and opted to use the US instead because they lack the resources to manage overseas relationships, according to a SOCMA representative.

Parexel opens another early phase unit in South Africa

24-Feb-2010 - Parexel has opened a 40 bed early phase clinical trial unit in South Africa, increasing its Phase I capabilities in the country and adding to its patient recruitment focused SuperSites network.

Pharmarama builds in US market

23-Feb-2010 - US Pharma firms can benefit from the sourcing, storage and distribution efficiencies offered by comparator drug sourcing and distribution specialist Pharmarama says managing director Rosemary Bensley.

Aesica plans US expansion

23-Feb-2010 - Aesica is looking to acquire manufacturing assets in the US to expand its client base in the country and continue the growth it has maintained throughout the economic downturn.

Informex – companies hope for a brighter 2010

22-Feb-2010 - There are signs that 2010 will be a better year for the fine and custom chemistry industry but companies at Informex remained cautious and are planning accordingly.

AMRI buys Excelsyn for $19m

22-Feb-2010 - AMRI has acquired Wales-based Excelsyn for $19m (€14m) to help it target the European market and improve its ability to offer low cost services.

Ampac partners with Inabata and Codexis; Codexis teams with Dishman

18-Feb-2010 - Contract API maker Ampac Fine chemicals (AFC) has had a busy 24-hours, entering the Japanese market through a deal with Inabata and forging an alliance with Codexis on biocatalyst technology.

Almac launches STEMS temp monitoring system for trial supplies

18-Feb-2010 - Almac Clinical Services says novel temperature monitoring system speeds shipping and cuts quarantine times by allowing authorised personnel to make decisions on trial supplies at clinical sites 24/7.

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MDS' sites "perfectly dovetail" with Ricerca's capacity; VP

17-Feb-2010 - The capabilities of the MDS Pharma Services' sites Ricerca is set to acquire "perfectly dovetail" with its existing capacity, according to a company vice president.