14-Sep-2006 - Successful technology transfer and effective management can help avoid disappointment with contract manufacturing arrangements, which often fail to live up to pharmaceutical company expectations.
13-Sep-2006 - A good selection process, with a realistic set of selection criteria is essential when looking for the right contract manufacturing partner, according to a new Datamonitor report.
12-Sep-2006 - Offshoring contract manufacturing is not the only option for large pharma firms looking to drive productivity and efficiency gains in drug manufacturing, warns a new report from independent market analyst Datamonitor.
06-Sep-2006 - Dalton Pharma Services has introduced a range of new medicinal chemistry services that are available to companies involved in drug discovery that wish to utilise additional scientific and managerial expertise as well as specialised equipment.
05-Sep-2006 - After selling a manufacturing plant in Texas to Cardinal Health two years ago, Adams Respiratory Therapeutics has reacquired the facility in order to produce its expectorant Mucinex (guaifenesin extended-release), responding to a 15-fold growth in sales in the last couple of years.
30-Aug-2006 - In the first drug master file (DMF) approval of its kind, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the sale of metformin hydrochloride tablets which are produced by an Indian company using a pharmaceutical formulation intermediate (PFI), an alternative to sourcing active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) which could revolutionalise the conventional pharmaceutical manufacturing model.
29-Aug-2006 - Biopharmaceutical firm Altus has asked contract manufacturer Althea to produce Phase III quantities of a crystallised formulation of human growth hormone (hGH) which can be administered subcutaneously weekly instead of daily.
23-Aug-2006 - Despite its consolidation, the competitive consumable sector still offers potential for rapid growth and better profits in the biopharmaceutical industry, while contract bioprocessing services will be increasingly in demand, according to a new market report by D&MD Publications titled "The Bioprocessing Industry - Increasing Capacity, Production, and Efficiency."
23-Aug-2006 - For the first time Merck has opened the doors of its under-construction manufacturing plant in North Carolina to public officials, boasting it will eventually contribute about two-thirds of its annual live-virus vaccine production.
16-Aug-2006 - Pennsylvania environmental regulators have accused Merck of hampering their investigation of a chemical discharge from its West Point facility that resulted in a major fish kill on the local creek and threatened the water supplies for the city of Philadelphia.
15-Aug-2006 - India's potential to further boost its already dominant role in global generics production, as well as an offshore location of choice for contract manufacturing, presents an opportunity worth an estimated $48bn (€38bn) in 2007, though regulatory reforms and improved intellectual property rights are needed if its domestic market is to be tapped, a new report from KPMG suggests.
15-Aug-2006 - More problems at Patheon's Puerto Rican production facilities in the third quarter of 2006 are expected to reduce the contract manufacturer's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) by more than $9m (€7m) compared to last year, forcing it to negotiate its credit agreement with its lenders.
10-Aug-2006 - While Lonza's biopharmaceutical business has taken off, tough competition from cheap Asian competitors is eating away at its exclusive synthesis business - meanwhile, the whole business is being hit by rising raw material and energy costs.
03-Aug-2006 - Cambrex's Q2 results show that the life sciences firm is slowly making a comeback after being crushed by a $140.3m (€116.7m) loss in Q4, however, it has failed to completely stem the bleed from its Biopharma unit, blamed for much of the company's woes.
01-Aug-2006 - Most pharmaceutical companies know little about how to make biopharmaceuticals on a large scale and so they need to develop in-house expertise as well as outsource several steps in their production chain, advises the head of chemistry and production at Genzyme Pharmaceuticals.
25-Jul-2006 - Israeli biopharma firm Kamada will manufacture transferrin for an undisclosed European pharma firm embarking on the first ever clinical trials of a drug that includes the substance.
20-Jul-2006 - The Japanese pharmaceutical industry is eyeing India as a new hub to conduct its contract manufacturing and clinical trials - India is thirsty for new Japanese investment.
13-Jul-2006 - Active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturers in Europe are struggling to differentiate their capabilities and compete in an outsourcing market suffering from overcapacity, diminishing profitability and threats from Asia.
10-Jul-2006 - SR Pharma has recruited Genzyme, BioSpring and OctoPlus to formulate and manufacture its lead RNAi therapeutic product Atu027 to good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards, as its liposomal drug delivry system moves forward.
04-Jul-2006 - Frost & Sullivan has awarded biopharmaceutical firm Cytogenix with its 2006 award for innovation in biotechnology processing for its cell-free manufacturing method that enables generation of large quantities of high-purity DNA in small highly automated production modules at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional bioprocess methods.
30-May-2006 - India's Dishman Pharmaceuticals & Chemicals has snapped up the Swiss-based pharmaceutical services business, Carbogen and Amcis, of financially-troubled US chemical firm Solutia for the sum of $74.5m (€58m).
18-May-2006 - Cardinal Health has taken the contract manufacturing crown after being honoured with a prestigious award from Frost & Sullivan in recognition of its ability to provide biopharma firms with a high quality service, while still remaining extremely competitively priced.
09-May-2006 - Cardinal Health has implemented a series of business reshuffles and cost cutting measures in the hope of pulling itself out of poor profitability after disappointing third quarter results.
04-May-2006 - US-based Nabi Biopharmaceuticals has secured an exclusive supply and contract manufacturing deal with French-based vaccines giant Sanofi Pasteur to streamline the production of its rabies vaccine.
18-Apr-2006 - Watson Pharmaceuticals has acquired India's Sekhsaria Chemicals in a move to push forward its generic drug agenda.